


This Heart is a Stone

by FitofPaige



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: 15 years after, Actual Smut, Drama, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Love, M/M, Minor Character Death, Monsters on the Surface, Named Reader, No More Resets (Undertale), Nonbinary Frisk, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader is African American, Sans Spaghetti, Science Stuff, Slow Burn, Smut, Soul stuff, THEY FINALLY DID THE DO, and absolutely gorgeous and wonderful, for a little while, frisk can talk, lots of puns, professor sans, relative peace, rocks, science puns for days, so many rock puns, the best smut i've ever written
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-21
Updated: 2017-11-23
Packaged: 2018-07-16 07:28:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 70
Words: 132,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7258198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FitofPaige/pseuds/FitofPaige
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It hasn’t been an easy 15 years since since the barrier atop Mt. Ebott broke and monsters were reintroduced to the surface world. The uneasy acceptance of monsterkind was hard won by many sacrifices though over the years tensions have settled into a general, though in some cases begrudging, acceptance.</p><p>You are a grad student at the local university, eagerly pursuing a degree in Geophysics and Planetary Sciences in hopes of returning to the National Park Service. One step closer to the future you’ve had planned out since you were 17.</p><p>Plans change, though… and along the way, you might undergo a metamorphosis too.<br/><b>*Please do not assume this is just a student/teacher kink fic, because it is not :)</b><br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Down To Earth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been wanting to write a Professor Sans fic for a while now, and well... HERE IT IS AND ITS GONNA BE BETTER THAN I COULD EVER IMAGINE! ^_^
> 
> ENJOY!  
> -Paige

It had been 15 years since monsters came out from Mount Ebott, when your friend and roommate Frisk broke the barrier and rescued a whole species of magical beings from captivity. For the first few years, humans were less than accepting. It had been difficult for most monsters to land jobs and so many had ended up on the streets or in homeless shelters. But as time went on, more people started recognizing monsters as people. They gained rights and, over time, were able to live among humans in relative peace.

You had been 11 when you first saw it on the news. You’d been intrigued by the idea that a whole species could be trapped underground for so long, yet there was no mention of them anywhere on the surface. Even more surprising was the technology that had developed underground, specifically the CORE, which provided the electrical energy to run the underground.

Some bright minds had come up with the monsters. One of which was a well renowned scientist you idolized. He was a skeleton monster with a doctorate in both Applied Geophysics and Exoplanetary Geology and taught a class on Applied Geophysics and Morphology at the local University you were enrolled in.

You really needed to check the openings for that class, but instead you were sitting in the living room of the house you were renting, watching some news station report on the scientific advancements that came out of the monster community.

Suddenly, the front door swung open.

“NATASHA, HOLY FUCK!”

Frisk, your roommate and ambassador of monsters, stood there with several items in their arms.

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME IT WAS YOUR BIRTHDAY?!”

You turned to look at them, “How’d you know it was my birthday?”

“The Undernet!” They said, nearly dropping things as they made their way to their bedroom.

Ah, yes, the Undernet. A monster-made social media platform that was popular in the Underground. It wasn’t long before it became popular topside as well, and you felt compelled to make an account.

“Got a notification earlier.” Frisk said, walking back into the living room and turning their phone screen to you, “See, Natasha’s birthday, January 14th!”

You let out a soft laugh and waved away their phone, “Yeah, so it’s my birthday. It’s not a big deal.”

Frisk gasped and plopped down beside you on the sofa, “Not a big deal?! How old are you?”

“26. Not a very important number.”

“Pssshh! Who cares about the number! It’s your birthday, and that means we should throw a party!” Frisk practically squealed.

You raised a brow at your roommate. They seemed determined to make a big deal over your birthday, which seemed a little weird to you. You could only recall celebrating a couple of birthdays in your life, and even then, it really only consisted of the people which you lived with at the time and a small, store bought cake. It’d been more of an obligatory deal rather than an act of love.

“Sooo…” Frisk spoke, playing with their hair, which was styled in an undercut, but the top was a lot longer and had been pulled back into a ponytail. “What do you want for your birthday?”

“Frisk, you really don’t have to get me anything.” You told them before turning your attention back to the tv.

“Well I want to get you something! Even if it’s just a small pre-”

You gasped in excitement and shushed Frisk as you grabbed the remote and turned the tv volume up. Frisk looked at the tv, their brows furrowed.

“I don’t understand why you’re so excited.”

You stuttered a little before being able to form your sentence, “It’s Dr. Spaghetti! He’s only one of the best and brightest scientists in the field right now!”

Frisk let out a snort, “I know Sans. He’s just a big, lazy, goofball.”

“He.. wait, you know him?” You looked at Frisk, dumbfounded at this information.

“Yeah, he was one of the first monsters I met underground, real funny guy… One of my best friends.”

You swear you saw a spark of affection in their brown eyes as they looked toward the tv, but they quickly glared back over at you.

“Don’t you dare tell him I said that.” They told you.

You shot them an amused look and began to say something when they started talking again.

“I can’t believe he went along with that last name…” They said, tapping a finger to their chin in thought before sighing to themselves, “Actually, no, I totally can.”

You smiled and shook your head, your roommate was certainly something else. They’d apparently been around 10 years old when they broke the barrier and rescued the monsters, and looking at them now, you just couldn’t imagine it… Then again, you’d only known them for a few days now, so you figure you still had a lot to learn about them.

Looking back at the tv, you smiled as you listened to your idol talk. He just sounded so smart, so eloquent with his words. You stared at the tv, taking in every bit of information he was laying out.

Frisk smirked, “So is THAT what you want for your birthday?”

"Oh man, I would LOVE to meet him. He's just so smart. I just want to pick his brain!"

Frisk squinted at you, opening and closing their mouth.

“I… That’s not…”

They sighed and raked a hand down their face before leaning further back into the cushions.

You watched the rest of the interview, a smile on your lips the whole time. Once it was over, you sat back on the sofa and turned to look at Frisk.

“So you said you met him underground?”

Frisk nodded, “Yep! First time we met he told me to shake his hand and he had a whoopie cushion in it, he also drank a whole bottle of ketchup in front of me one time… I think it was just to get a reaction out of me.”

You blinked in bewilderment, “Did it work?”

Frisk smiled, “Nah, I just stared at him. I think he was a little disappointed actually.”

“Was he a scientist when you met him?” You asked.

“Well, he didn’t work in the lab while I was there, but I think he used to before. I remember he had this physics book that had a joke book inside it, and that had another physics book in it, and then another joke book, and it just kept going like that. I eventually just put it down, it was insane.” They said.

“How does that even work?”

Frisk shrugged, “Magic I guess. There was a lot of strange stuff there. For instance, the place where Sans and his brother, Papyrus lived was called Snowdin. In that town, it was always snowing. Then there was an area called waterfall, and an area called hotland.”

“Wow, those are some uh… creative names.” you mumbled.

Frisk laughed, “Asgore was never good with names. The place he lived was called New Home.”

You gave a small smile, “So… What else do you know about Dr. Spaghetti.”

Frisk let out an even louder laugh, “Oh my god, every time you call him that, I’m gonna go into a giggle fit… So uhh…what else is there.”

They thought for a minute before their eyes lit up and a smile crossed their lips.

“So, when we first got to the surface and I was still a kid, he used to come visit all the time!”

“Oh yeah? Did he live close by?”

“Yeah, sorta. But he would come over for dinner nearly every night. Shit, he might as well have lived upstairs.” They said.

“Oh wow, I guess he’s a close family friend then?” You asked.

Frisk stifled a laugh, “You could say that. I mean, my mom was quite familiar with his family jewels at one time.”

It took you a second before you realized the meaning behind Frisk’s words, but when it hit you, you looked at them with wide eyes and they burst into laughter.

“OH MY GOD, YOU SHOULD SEE THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE RIGHT NOW!”

You buried your face in your hands, “Frisk, nooooo.”

Frisk wiped a tear that had escaped their eye and pushed themselves up from the couch.

“Ok, ok, I know it’s your birthday, but I have a few boxes to unpack. Think you could help me out?” They asked.

You looked up at them, face still burning a little from embarrassment.

“Yeah, but I gotta get to bed early, I have a lot of things to get done tomorrow.”

“Fair enough, come on!”

You stood from the sofa and followed Frisk off to their room to help them unpack.

 

\--

 

You finally got around to changing into your pajamas around 11 PM. You pulled on a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top before going into the bathroom to finish getting ready for bed.

After dampening your face with warm water you took a pump of your cleanser into your hand and rubbed it on your face. The white bubbles foaming up stood out on your chocolate brown skin. You made sure to rinse all the suds away before applying your moisturizer and brushing your teeth. To put the final touches on your nighttime routine, you pulled a satin cap on to hold your curls in place while you slept, and to keep them from becoming a tangled mess overnight.

You put your glasses back on and grabbed your laptop before crawling into bed. Propping yourself back against the headboard, you placed the computer on your lap and started it up.

With a flicker of hope in your heart, you decided to check the class registration openings one more time before falling asleep. Skimming through the list of classes, you gasped quietly in excitement when you saw exactly what you had been looking for. As if by fate, the previously canceled Applied Geophysics and Morphology class offered by Doctor Spaghetti appeared at the top of the offered classes. With a quick glance at the time you realized that you had maybe 10 minutes to register for the class before the week rolled over and you’d have to start late. Many frantic clicks and clacks of your ancient laptop’s keyboard later and you had withdrawn from your alternate class and registered for Doctor Spaghetti’s.

This was it.

Starting tomorrow, you’d be learning under the leading scientist in the field.

Best. Birthday. Ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEW TUMBLR: fitofpaige17.tumblr.com  
> (Also, my Tumblr wasn't created specifically for my fics, so if you're just wanting to know when the story updates, please click 'subscribe' and you'll receive emails whenever I publish a new chapter!)


	2. Have a Gneiss Day?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man! Second chapter!  
> Thank you for all the support with the first one, I am super excited about this fic!  
> And to anyone who is worried about the whole teacher/student thing, please don't make assumptions as to where this story is headed. Thanks!
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paigey <3

Sans didn’t sleep well the night before, he guessed it was just from the anxiety of teaching a brand new group of students at the University in the morning. After only getting about three hours of sleep, he decided to get up and make himself some coffee.

Sitting at the breakfast nook in his kitchen, he sipped from his mug as he stared at his phone screen. It was 5:59 AM and at any moment now he’d be getting a call from his brother. It was like clockwork, every morning Papyrus would call him at six to check on him and make sure he was awake. So it took no time at all for Sans to hit the answer button when his phone rang.

“hey, bro.”

“GOOD MORNING, BROTHER! I HOPE YOU SLEPT WELL LAST NIGHT!”

Sans couldn’t help but smile at his brother’s booming voice over the phone.

“i’ve definitely slept better. i think it’s just the pre-class jitters getting to me.” Sans said.

“NYEH! SANS, YOU HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT! THERE IS NO GREATER SCIENTIST THAN DR. SANS SPAGHETTI!”

Sans’ smiled widens, “thanks, pap. you always know just what to say… so how are you today?”

“I AM FEELING GREAT! I GOT A CALL FROM METTATON LAST NIGHT! HE’S STILL ON TOUR OVERSEAS, AND ALL OF HIS SHOWS ARE SOLD OUT!” Papyrus told him.

“that’s great. how are um… metta, tonton, metts, mtt, and all the other cats?”

Papyrus laughed, “They are doing well! Sans is here with me actually. He’s napping, as usual.”

Papyrus had been moved out of the house for around six years and was living with his robotic boyfriend, Mettaton. There was an old cat sanctuary next to where they lived that Papyrus had began helping out at, but eventually ended up taking over. There were many cats, and Pap had taken to naming any of the new ones… those usually ended up with names related to Mettaton. Of course there was his favorite, chubby, lazy cat, whom he’d named after his big brother.

The two talked for around 20 minutes before hanging up. Sans downed the rest of his coffee before heading to the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day.

15 years ago, Sans would have had a hard time getting up, much less actually putting effort into making himself look decent for a day at work. But the surface had done so much for him. He had the opportunity to do so much more than he did underground. There were so many things he could do, places he could go. Best of all, when the barrier broke, the magic that caused the timeline fluctuations had disappeared with it. Sans wasn’t sure how many timelines had happened, he had no way of remembering them once Frisk had fallen, he just knew that things kept repeating themselves and that Frisk had something to do with it. He never really asked for details about it, but when they finally reached the surface, Frisk assured Sans that they would never be trapped down there again. Sans had been in a very dark place then, and he would visit that spot where they’d emerged from the underground frequently. He’d sit on the cliff and watch the sun set and the stars come out. Sometimes the others would join him, but most of the time it’d been just Frisk. The two of them seemed to hold a connection through the timelines and had become close friends because of it.

Sans shook the thoughts from his head, it was so easy for him to get lost in his memories sometimes. But he had a job to do, kids to teach, papers to write.

Sans was a busy monster, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

\---

 

You walked into the classroom, early as always… Too early, apparently. There was nobody else in the room.

You took a seat near the middle of the room so you could have a good view of the large dry-erase board. Unsure of how the class might begin, you went ahead and pulled your notebook and a pen from your bag in case notes needed to be taken.

10 minutes passed and still nobody had shown up, not even the professor. You sighed and rechecked your schedule. You were in the right room, at the right time, so why was no one here?

Leaning back in your chair, you sent a text to Frisk asking if Dr. Spaghetti was usually late, and all you got back was a string of emoticons laughing hysterically.

Frisk was a funny one, a little out there, but really nice. You checked the time again and sighed before putting your phone back in your bag.

 

Five minutes after class was supposed to start, the professor walked in. You sat up in your chair, a little surprised that he was late for his own class.

His eyes scanned the room and he set his stuff down on his desk before reaching into his bag and pulling out a few papers. You watched as he looked at the top paper before he turned and walked over to the table in front of you, pulled out a chair and sat backwards in it.

“welcome to applied geophysics and morphology, i’m your professor, dr. sans spaghetti.” He leaned forward in the chair, crossing his arms on the back of it, “you must be natasha clayborne.”

You blinked in surprise, “Yeah, uh… How do you know my name?”

“well uh,” He looked at the paper again, “you seem to be the only one who enrolled for this particular week. the other students who enrolled after the deadline this morning won’t start class until next monday.”

“Huh, wow, that’s strange.” You said.

Dr. Spaghetti raised a brow bone, “why do you say that?”

“Well, I’m just surprised there isn’t an overwhelming interest in this class.” You told him, “I mean, you are one of the leading scientists in your field.”

“oh… thanks.” He said, possibly with a tiny bit of surprise in his voice.

He separated the papers in his hand before laying a few on the table and sliding them toward you.

“this is your syllabus for the class. it has all the information as to which textbook you’ll need, the entire class schedule as far as your quizzes and which section each one will be over. it also has the grading scale that shows the percentage that each tests counts toward your grade. there will be assignments you will need to do outside of class hours, but I will allow more than enough time to complete them without the need to rush your work. do you have any questions?”

“Uh, no sir, I think I’m good. I’ve actually,” you trailed off, shuffling through your bag. After a moment of frustration you just pulled out a collection of notebooks and papers and finally a large, dull looking textbook and two supporting works that had been outlined in the syllabus from last year. One of which happened to be Dr. Spaghetti’s own Mineralogy of The Underground. “Got them right here!”

You started shuffling the unneeded papers and notebooks back into your bag before continuing, “The list from last year was still on the website and there haven’t been any new editions so I figured that we’d just be using the same ones.” You glanced back up from your bag to see that he had taken the mineralogy book off your desk and was thumbing through the well worn and annotated pages.

“you know, miss clayborne, this one is out of date.” He glanced at you from over the pages.

“I’ve actually had that copy since I was 17.” You started with a small smile of fondness. “It’s what really sparked my interest in field. I mean, the sheer variety of unique minerals that are found in the underground!” For a moment you think you might see his permanent grin widen fractionally, “It’s just really amazing! And the unique properties that were imbued in the natural local stone over thousands of years of exposure to raw magic is just unbelievable. It’s truly awe inspiring. I mean, you wrote it, so you obviously know this already but I just- Sorry, I mean, I can get a more up to date copy if-” He cut you off with a low chuckle.

“no, that’s fine. i think,” he handed you back your well loved volume, “that really the only things they’ve changed over the years would be to correct my terrible grammar and make the pictures a little bigger. now, i usually do a bit of an ice breaker on the first day to try and get everyone familiar with each other since a lot of what we do here requires you to be pretty comfortable with your peers but we might have to save that for next monday so in the meantime, before we break for the day, tell me why you’re here.” He sat back expectantly, reclining against the desk behind him while waiting for you to start. It was a little nerve wracking being put on the spot like this, but hey, you’ve got this. You always do.

“Well, like I said, I really got into geology when I was 17. At the time I was living a ways up north of here and to get away for a while I spent a lot of time hiking on this preserve just outside of town. I had been out for a few hours and had just wandered off the trail at some point. I found myself at this huge overhanging shelf. It was beautiful. It turns out that there was a receding aquifer that had just at some point collapsed, but, maybe it was the heat exhaustion talking at that point, but that limestone grotto was just the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It was beautiful and cool and there was still an active spring welling up in the middle of it. It was stunning.” You glanced up from your recollection full of entirely too many hand gestures to see a broad, genuine smile on Dr. Spaghetti’s face. “I ended up going back there pretty much every day and I started checking out anything I could find on the subject. I absolutely devoured your work because what you guys had down there was just so unlike anything that I’ve ever seen before and your writing about the different zones and their geological variation was just so vivid. It feels like you see beauty in a gem’s structure and in a formation’s origins. It was amazing. I just-” You were suddenly cut off by an echoing siren in the hallway.

“well, that’s unusual. i guess this means it’s as good a time as any to call it quits for the day.” Dr. Spaghetti said, his voice a little raised to be heard over the blaring alarm. He pulled himself up and stretched his shoulders. “those chairs are torture. but you seem like you’re pretty passionate about being here and that’s always refreshing to see. we should clear out, but i’ll see you on tuesday, miss clayborne. have a gneiss afternoon.” And surprisingly quickly, he had gathered his stuff and was out the door right as the alarm stopped.

 

Your only other class for the day didn’t last too long. The professor just kinda shoved the syllabus at everyone and gave a rough overview of it before telling the class to spend the day buying the textbook and going over the first section.

As you finished purchasing the last class’s textbook you needed at the University’s store, your phone vibrated in your pocket. You pulled it out and saw a text from your roommate.

 

 **Frisky Business:  
** You done with classes? I’m heading to the student lounge for some coffee!

 

You smiled at the name Frisk had put for themselves in your contacts and texted back that you’d meet them there. Once you pocketed your phone once more, you grabbed your bag and thanked the cashier before heading out of the building.

As you walked down the sidewalk toward the student lounge, you heard a loud engine roar across the parking lot. You looked up from your phone to see a bike fly past… wait, that wasn’t a bike.

It was a Piaggio mp3.

You couldn’t help but shudder a little. You hated those things, they looked so dumb. Why would someone get one of those when they could just buy a regular motorcycle instead?

What was worse, was that it had a vanity plate on the back that read ‘Rockin.’

Shaking your head, you turned to walk into the building, which landed you right inside the cafe where Frisk was sitting back in a chair, sipping an iced coffee and scrolling through their phone. You made your way over to them and sat your bags next to a nearby chair. Frisk looked up from their phone and smiled at you.

“Hey, dude! How was class? Did you meet Dr. Noodle?!”

“Doctor noo- Ohh! You mean Dr. Spaghetti!” You laughed, “Yeah, I did. He’s pretty cool. A lot shorter than I thought he’d be though, if I’m being honest.”

Frisk chuckled, “Yeah, Sans has always been super short! He’s like, 5’1”. I think I was actually only a couple of inches shorter than him when I fell into the Underground.”

“You aren’t much taller now.” You joked.

Frisk scoffed, “How dare you, I am of average height for my age!”

“You keep telling yourself that, friendo.” You said.

They rolled their eyes, “Well we can’t all be 5’10” and as voluptuous as you.”

You nearly let out a snort, “Oh my gosh, Frisk. I’m going to get a coffee.”

“Ok, but don’t get too much sugar, you got enough with that sweet ass!”

You slapped a hand over your face, hearing Frisk’s wild laughter as you walked over to the counter.

Their mother, Toriel, had been right when she said that Frisk had a major flirtatious streak. You just hadn’t realized how blunt they were about it. It didn’t bother you though, if anything you were flattered.

Ordering an iced coffee of your own, and putting as much sugar and cream in it as you wanted, you joined Frisk back at the chairs in the corner of the cafe. As you made yourself comfortable, you caught Frisk’s eye just as they had finished reading something on their phone.

“So… Your professor says you sound pretty passionate about your studies.” They said, a giant smirk on their face.

You shook your head with a laugh and rolled your eyes before setting down your drink.

“I have this vague impression that he might’ve made a joke as we were leav-” And Frisk interrupted you with a loud spit take of cold coffee that erupted into laughter.

“Oh buddy, just you wait.”


	3. Taking Things for Granite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little short. Hopefully the next one will be a bit longer! :D
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

**[Wednesday 4:28 AM] Frisk:**

Hey, you ok?

 

**[Wednesday 4:29 AM] Sans:**

ive certainly been better. this one wasnt too bad though

how about you?

 

**[Wednesday 4:31 AM] Frisk:**

I’m alright.

What did you see this time?

 

**[Wednesday 4:34 AM] Sans:**

there was a golden light and something red. it was all a blur, i can’t really remember

maybe i should try looking into this again

 

**[Wednesday 4:36 AM] Frisk:**

I wouldn’t worry about it too much, you even said that they were happening less often now.

 

**[Wednesday 4:36 AM] Sans:**

yeah i did say that

what did you see?

 

**[Wednesday 4:36 AM] Frisk:**

Same as you.

 

**[Wednesday 4:38 AM] Sans:**

nothing different at all?

 

**[Wednesday 4:39 AM] Frisk:**

Just a lot of gold and some red. It was really bright.

 

**[Wednesday 4:45 AM] Sans:**

ok. get some sleep, kid. dont be late for class tomorrow

 

**[Wednesday 4:45 AM] Frisk:**

Yeah, yeah, ok DAD.

 

**[Wednesday 4:46 AM] Sans:**

night frisk

 

**[Wednesday 4:46 AM] Frisk:**

Night, Sans.

 

* * *

 

 

The week was going by fairly quickly for you. You considered yourself lucky to be the only student in your Applied Geophysics class for the first week, it was like having your own private tutoring session with the smartest professor you knew without having to pay extra!

Tuesday was spent going over some basics, and Dr. Spaghetti had seemed a little surprised by how much you already knew. Wednesday, he got to class even later than he had before. When he saw you were using the time to read ahead in one of your textbooks he just pulled out a book of his own, said to bug him if you had any questions, and spent the next 45 minutes either dozing or reading very,  _ very _ slowly. After that though the two of you went over what you had read in more detail and he enthusiastically supplemented what was obviously his prepared material with personal anecdotes and the occasional joke. 

After getting on the subject of fracture zone instability along the northern end of the mid-atlantic rift zone, time seemed to get away from the two of you. It was refreshing to talk about something you were so passionate about with someone who actually understood and held the same interest in it as you did. Though before leaving for the day he made sure to let you know that the class would have an additional 12 students that had registered during the week. 

 

Friday rolled around and you didn’t have any classes, and neither did Frisk, so the majority of the day was spent studying and getting ahead on work for your classes… Well you did all that. Frisk was too busy planning your birthday party for the next day.

“I already asked Undyne and Alphys. Mom will be here… I need to see if Asgore is free to stop by.”

“You realize that I have only ever met Toriel right?” You raised an eyebrow at Frisk, “I have no clue who these other people are.”

“Oh, you’ll love them!” They smiled at you, “And I’ll be inviting Dr. Ravioli too!”

You rolled your eyes at the name before understanding their words, “You don’t think that’s a little strange? My professor being in our home, I mean.”

Their brow furrowed, “You mean you DON’T want another opportunity to talk one-on-one with him about all that nerdy stuff you’re into?”

You shook your head, “It’s not that, it’s just… kind of weird, I guess? I know you’re friends with him and all, but… gosh, it’s like inviting your kindergarten teacher to your fifth birthday party, isn’t it?”

Frisk shrugged, “I mean, if you don’t want him here, I won’t invite him.”

“Well, I mean, I’m not saying  _ don’t  _ invite him, but like,” you sighed, trapped in a social obligation you didn’t know could exist, “Fine. Invite him. But you’re the one doing the inviting, not me, ok? I’m not being that creepy student.”

“YES!” Frisk punched up in the air victoriously. “Oh man, you nerds are going to have so much fun! I can’t wait for this party!” Frisk paused. “Hey, speaking of which, what kind of cake should we get?”

“Uh, I really like tiramisu.” You said.

Frisk scribbled something down on the notepad in their lap, “Alright, now what kind of presents do you like?”

You looked up from your book, “What? Frisk, you don’t need to get me presents! You’re already throwing this party.”

“Nat, you can’t have a birthday party without presents!” They said, “I already know you like rocks and all that earthy science shit.”

You snickered, “Yeah, I’m all about that shit.”

“I’ll find something you’ll like!” They said, tapping their pen to their chin, “Also, did you have anyone you wanted to invite. Everyone on the list right now is someone I am inviting.”

It took you a minute to answer, “No…”

Frisk’s smile fell, “You sure?” They paused for a moment. “Nobody at all?”

“Nope.”

There was a stretch of awkward silence that made you more anxious by the second. It was true, you didn’t have any friends. Anyone who had been in your life had moved on to other places, other people. 

Frisk looked back at you, a smile on their lips once again.

“Hey, that’s ok! You can become buddies with my friends and then you’ll have more friends than you know what to do with!”

They jumped up from their couch, “Now, I’m going to head off to the mall. I’d invite you to come along, but I can’t have you trying to figure out what birthday present I’m getting you!”

You watched as they shoved their notebook inside their bag and headed toward the door.

“Do you want me to bring you back anything?” They asked.

“Nah, I’m good. Thanks though.”

Frisk gave you a look before shaking their head.

“I’m bringing you something anyway! Don’t have too much fun while I’m gone!”

You smiled, “Don’t worry, I won’t.”

With one last wave to you, Frisk left the house. 

 

In their absence, you finished the section of your textbook you’d been outlining and set it to the side. You tried to distract yourself with television, but your mind kept returning to the conversation with Frisk. Did they think you were strange for not having friends? Would they think something was wrong with you because of it?

For a while now it’d been just you. With no family to go to, you fended for yourself for years. Even though you’d only known Frisk for a couple of weeks now, they were probably the closest thing to a friend you’d had in forever.

You sighed to yourself and went to your room. You couldn’t focus on work anymore for the evening. With a grumble you stared up at your bookshelf, scanning the titles before pulling out one that you had read a thousand times. You curled up with the novel and read until you fell asleep. All in all, it was like an evening spent with an old friend.


	4. Rock and Roll All Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 1 of the birthday party! :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just want to make a note that, in anyone's POV besides Nat's, it will be entirely third person. So instead of Nat being referred to as "you" it will be "she."
> 
> Also feel free to send me asks on Tumblr! About anything! :D I love to hear from you guys!!
> 
> -Paige

Sans stared at the lesson plans scattered on the dining table. The new students would be starting on Monday and he needed to make sure he had everything prepared for the lot of them. He had expected more people to sign up that first week, and was a little surprised to find only one person on the roster.

He’d be lying to himself if he said he didn’t enjoy the time spent discussing geophysics with Miss Clayborne, though. The young woman was smart, in fact, Sans was sure that she could pass the final exam without even coming to the classes. But her passion for learning seemed to match his own, and she’d probably take every opportunity she could to learn more if that was the case.

He’d also admit that he had been a little flattered when she mentioned having read his work and even had an older edition of his book on mineralogy of the underground. It was a pleasant surprise. Miss Clayborne was the type of student every professor wanted in their class… Sans could only hope that the rest of his students would be as interested in the class as she was.

 

The front door swung open and Sans didn’t even look up from his work. He knew who it was before they even said anything.

“Hey, Dr. Rigatoni! Whatcha up to!”

Sans just sighed, “you know, frisk, when i gave you that house key i figured you’d at least knock before bursting into the house.”

Frisk smiled, “Dude, it’s been 8 years, I’ve probably only knocked once or twice.”

Sans chuckled as he took off his glasses and leaned back in his chair, “yeah, i guess that was too much to ask. what’s up, kiddo?”

Frisk walked over to the table and sat their bag down before plopping themselves down into one of the chairs. 

“So, you know my roomie, Natasha. Well, her birthday was on the 14th and I decided to throw her a party tonight at our house. I wanted to know if you’d wanna join in on the fun.”

Sans raised a brow, “you really think that’s appropriate, kid?”

Frisk rolled their eyes, “Pssh, buddy, it’s no different than if you were just coming over to visit me.”

“except for the fact that it’s one of my student’s birthday party.” He said.

“So? It’s just a little get-together at the house. No big deal.”

“yes big deal. if i start making friends with my students, there could be trouble. it would only take one stupid rumor to go around the school and i could be out of a job.”

Frisk let out a tiny huff of annoyance, “Sans, there are plenty of professors who hang out with their students as friends.”

“and those kinds of professors are what we call ‘unprofessional.’” Sans said, his voice becoming a little more stern.

Frisk stared at him for a long minute, their brown eyes focused on the lights in his sockets like they were trying to read his thoughts or something. With a sigh breathed out through their nostrils, a defeated look came over Frisk’s face.

“Ok.” They said, standing from the chair and slinging their bag back over their shoulder. “I just figured, since I was inviting the rest of the gang, that you’d want to be a part of it too…”

“frisk, it’s not that i-”

“No, I understand, Sans.” They started toward the door and threw a smile back his way, “It’s fine. I’ll see ya later!”

Before Sans could say anything else, Frisk had left. He stared at the door for a moment. Was Frisk trying to make him feel bad? That was a completely fake smile they had on their face, he knew that much.

He grumbled and slid his glasses back onto his skull. He didn’t have time to deal with that right now, he had work to do.

 

\---

 

You watched as Frisk stood in the kitchen making a large bowl of punch.

“Frisk, what are you making?” You asked as you stepped closer.

“Oh! I’m making jungle juice!” They said excitedly, “I wasn’t exactly sure what flavor of koolaid you liked, so I just went ahead and bought a packet of each!”

You blinked a few times as you glanced at the bowl, “Is that why it’s black?... Because you added all of them in?”

“Yeah, dude!” Frisk said, looking into the liquid, “It’s like staring into the void! Look at it!”

You leaned over the bowl and frowned at the strange, sickeningly sweet smell that hit your nostrils.

“Uh… have you made this before?” 

“Uh huh! Not with all of the flavors as once, though.” They began slicing up different fruits and tossing them into the juice. 

“Anything I can do to help?” You asked, silently hoping that Frisk had bought different drinks at the store in case the punch tasted as bad as it smelled.

“You can add the vodka.” They said.

You picked up the unopened bottle of vodka and screwed the cap off, “How much?”

“All of it.”

You shot them a bewildered look, “Frisk, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

You nodded towards the bowl. “It’s not going to fit.”

“I knew I should’ve got a bigger one while I was out.” Frisk sighed. “Would it be a bad idea to…? Nope, never mind not going to ask.”

“Ask what?” You asked as you began pouring the vodka into the bowl.

“If we could clean out one of the big wastebaskets for this.”

You caught yourself wondering, not for the first time, just what kind of party Frisk had in mind. Clearly this wasn’t just some casual get-together like you’d thought.

A knock at the door pulled your attention away from the potential disaster in your kitchen and you made your way to the front of the house. You smiled when you looked through the peephole and saw Toriel.

You’d met Toriel when Frisk first started moving their things into the house. She was a very tall, very kind goat monster.

You opened the front door to greet her, taking notice of a tupperware container in her hands.

“Hey Toriel! How are you today?”

She smiled and stepped into the house when you motioned for her to enter in.

“I’m doing very well, my child. How about you?’”

“I’m good! Thanks for asking. Do you want me to take that into the kitchen for you?” You asked.

Toriel opened her mouth to say something when Frisk rushed into the room.

“Hey mom! Oh good, you brought the cake!!” They said, walking over and taking the container from Toriel’s hands.

“Of course! Tiramisu, just like you said.” 

Your mouth nearly started watering, “You made me a tiramisu?”

“You are going to LOOOOVE it!” Frisk said as they took the cake into the kitchen. 

Toriel chuckled, “You know, Frisk has been talking about this party all week. I was worried they were actually neglecting their school work, they’ve been so excited.”

You raised a brow, “Really?”

Her smile was warm, she laid a hand on your shoulder, “I know it’s only been a couple of weeks, but Frisk is determined to make your birthday special.”

“But… it’s just another day. I don’t understand why they would make such a big deal over it.”

Toriel shook her head, “It’s not the day that’s important to Frisk. It’s you. This is another milestone for you, another year of life, and they want to make sure it’s a great one.”

You forced back the burning sensation of tears behind your eyes. “That’s really nice. Thanks, Toriel.”

“Oh, just call me Tori, my dear.” She smiled and rubbed her hand over your coarse, curly hair.

“Nat!” Frisk yelled from the kitchen, “Come in here and taste this!”

Tori gave you a curious look and you just shrugged before the two of you walked off into the kitchen where Frisk was stirring the large bowl of punch. You both stepped closer and you could see Tori’s nose wrinkle at the sickeningly sweet smell.

“What is that?” She asked.

“It’s jungle juice!” Frisk said proudly as they grabbed a cup and poured a little into it, “Try it!”

You hesitantly took the cup from their hand and turned it up to your lips before your brain could stop you. The juice hit your tongue and it was almost like pure liquid sugar mixed with the pungent taste of alcohol. You swallowed it all at once and tried not to cough when you looked back at Frisk.

“It’s uh… definitely unlike anything I’ve ever tasted before.” You said.

Frisk just smiled and turned to their mother, “Mom, wanna try some?”

Toriel held a hand up and shook her head, “That’s ok, my child. I think I’ll be fine with some tea.”

“Aw, ok.” Frisk said, dropping the ladle back into the bowl and turning to grab the tea kettle.

“By the way, Frisk,” Toriel started, “A certain little friend of yours seemed a bit upset about you not inviting him.”

Frisk sighed, “You know I wanted to, mom, but…”

“You didn’t want him ruining anything. I know, child.” She said.

Frisk looked up at her, “I’ll make it up to him. Maybe take him to the park next week or something.”

Toriel patted Frisk’s back. “I’m sure he’d like that.”

You were about to ask about this friend of theirs when Frisk’s phone went off. They pulled it from their pocket and their face lit up as they tapped on the screen.

“Hey Asgore! What’s up?” 

Asgore? You knew that name, he was the king of the monsters. Of course, the royalty didn’t mean much on the surface, but he still played an important role in the negotiations between monster and human representatives.

You were a little surprised when Frisk handed the phone over to you. You took it and looked at the screen to see Asgore’s face. He smiled and waved to you.

“Howdy, Natasha! I just wanted to apologize for not being able to make it to the party, but I hope you all have a wonderful time!” He said.

“I, um, thank you!” You said, still a little confused as to why the king of all monsters took time out of his busy schedule to wish you, of all people, a happy birthday.

“Frisk has spoken very kindly about you, and you sound like a very nice girl. I am very glad that Frisk was able to find a roommate who is willing to put up with their silly antics.” He said.

“Hey! Rude!!” Frisk said as the rest of you laughed.

You talked to Asgore a few minutes, he asked about your major and how you were liking your classes. Apparently Frisk had told him that you were taking Dr. Spaghetti’s Applied Geophysics class and he asked you if he was annoying all of the students with his terrible puns yet. You were a little confused, you had really only heard your professor make a couple of jokes, yet everyone who knew him talked like he was some sort of comedian.

“Just wait, I’m sure he’ll start his usual pranks and jokes once the semester is in full swing.” Was all Asgore said.

He apologized once again for not being able to make it to the party and wished you a happy birthday once more before hanging up the phone. You handed the phone back to Frisk just as a loud series of knocks sounded from the front door.

“I bet that’s Undyne!” Frisk said, grabbing your wrist, “Come on!”

You let Frisk drag you to the door and they swung it open to reveal a tall, blue, fish-like monster with bright red hair and an eyepatch along with a much shorter dinosaur-type monster whose skin was yellow in color. The fish monster smiled, her sharp-looking teeth shining bright.

“HEY NERDS! HOW ABOUT WE GET THIS PARTY STARTED?!”


	5. And Party Everyday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of the party! :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little longer than usual. Hope you like it!!
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

Sans was flipping through channels on the TV when his phone rang. He looked at it and answered as soon as he realized it was his brother.

“hey, paps.” He said.

“BROTHER! THE NOT-SO-TINY-ANYMORE HUMAN CALLED ME THIS MORNING TO TELL ME ABOUT THEIR FRIEND’S BIRTHDAY PARTY THAT IS HAPPENING TONIGHT, BUT I AM AFRAID I CAN’T MAKE IT! ARE YOU GOING?”

Sans sighed quietly to himself, “nah, bro. i don’t think me going would be such a good idea.”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN?” Papyrus asked.

“well, the friend of frisk’s is one of my students at the university, and i just don’t think it would be wise to go to a student’s birthday party.” He said.

“...WHY?”

“paps, it’s not that i don’t want to, it’s just that it would be really unprofessional of me. i’m her teacher, i really shouldn’t be seeing her outside of school hours. if anyone who wasn’t in our circle of friends knew, they might get the wrong idea. rumors could be spread, i could lose my job.”

“SANS. WHEN WE WERE UNDERGROUND, YOU ALWAYS SLEPT AT YOUR SENTRY STATION. YOU DIDN’T CARE ABOUT APPEARANCES THEN… NO OFFENSE.”

Sans thought for a moment, “yeah, but that was then. i need to take this job seriously.”

Papyrus let out a sigh, “BROTHER, FRISK INFORMED ME THAT THEIR FRIEND IS A FAN OF YOUR WORK. I’M CERTAIN IT WOULD MAKE HER BIRTHDAY EXTRA SPECIAL IF YOU WERE THERE.”

Sans couldn’t help but feel a little agitated. His brother was completely ignoring the fact that he could lose his job over something as simple as this if the right people knew about it.

“I ALSO THINK IT WOULD BE RUDE IF BOTH OF US DIDN’T GO… I GUESS I COULD CANCEL MY PLANS.”

Sans laid his face in his hand with a clack of his bones hitting together. Papyrus wasn’t trying to guilt trip him, no, he was completely serious. If he thought that it would make someone happy, he’d cancel any plans he had for them, no matter how important.

“papyrus, don’t do that.” He muttered, “look, i’ll stop by for a few minutes, ok?”

Papyrus took in a sharp, excited breath, “REALLY, BROTHER?!”

“yeah.”

“MAKE SURE YOU TAKE THEM A PRESENT!!!” he said.

“a present? i don’t even know what she-”

“I’M SORRY BROTHER, BUT I NEED TO GO! I WILL TALK TO YOU SOON, HAVE FUN AT THE PARTY!”

Before Sans could say anything else, the line went dead. He just shook his head and shoved his phone into the pocket of his shorts.

“shit, what am i gonna do now?”

 

* * *

 

 

Undyne and Alphys didn’t seem like the ‘ideal couple’ when you first saw them. Undyne was loud and tough, where Alphys was a little more soft-spoken and seemed a little shy. But as you all sat down in the living room and started talking, you began to see why they were perfect for one another. Turned out, they had a lot of the same interests in things, mostly anime and video games… and that’s when you learned that Alphys could go from shy to crazed-anime-fangirl in less than two seconds.

You learned that Undyne was a personal trainer for a few different celebrities, and Alphys taught electrical engineering and theory of magical electricity at a local community college. The two of them had been married for 10 years.

The five of you sat around the dining table eating cake as the conversation drifted toward the topic of school.

“So, nerd, you’re working toward your Masters?” Undyne asked 

“Yeah.” You told her, “Majoring in Geophysics and Planetary Sciences.”

“O-oh! Geophysics!” Alphys piped up, “Does that mean you are taking Sans’ class?”

“Dr. Spaghetti? Yeah, I am.” You said, Undyne snorting at your words.

“How do you call him that with such a straight face?!” She asked.

You shrugged, “That’s his name.”

Undyne just shook her head, “It’s so ridiculous.”

“Leaves plenty of opportunity for pasta-related jokes though.” Frisk said.

Frisk started telling a few of their favorite jokes that they had used on Sans in the past. As they talked, you finished off your first slice of cake and began to cut yourself a second. You caught Toriel’s eye and she smiled at you.

“This cake is amazing, Tori.” you told her. “Seriously, I’ve never eaten anything like it!”

“Oh dear, it’s just a simple recipe that calls for a bit of magic.” She said.

Magic? No wonder you felt so wonderful after eating it.

“Well, it’s the best cake I’ve ever had, hands down.” You told her.

A light blush shone through the white fur on her face.

“Thank you, Natasha. I’m so glad you like it.”

“Hey, Nat!” Frisk called out, “You ready to open your presents?!”

“Can I eat this slice of cake first?”

Frisk smiled and stood from their seat, “You can eat it while you open gifts!”

You couldn’t help but smile and shake your head at their excitement.

Frisk brought over your presents and set them on the table while you ate. There was a medium sized one wrapped in a pretty red wrapping paper with a smaller one in the same color. Next to them, Frisk sat two gift bags. 

“The big one is from me and mom, and the smaller one in red is just from me! The two bags here are from Undyne and Alphys.” Frisk said.

“Who’s should I open first?” You asked, taking another bite of cake.

“It’s up to you! Though, it’d be cool if you saved the best for last… Which is mine.” They winked.

You rolled your eyes and grabbed one of the bags. You opened it up and saw a Geodude and Onix plush inside.

“Frisk told me you liked pokemon, and that your favorite types were rock and ground, so I figured you’d like them.” Alphys spoke up.

You pulled them out of the bag, they were really soft and look to be well made.

“Thank you Alphys! I love them!”

Setting that gift to the side, you grabbed up the next bag and pulled the tissue paper from the top. Inside lay some rocks you’d never seen before. You took a piece from the bag and stared at it in awe. It was broken, and inside were beautiful crystals of varied colors.

“Woah… Where did these come from?”

“Underground!” Undyne said, “Sometimes when I got really pumped up, usually in the middle of training or a fight, I’d suplex boulders. One time I suplexed a smaller boulder and it ended up shattering. Those are pieces of it.”

You looked back to the rock piece in your hand, moving it and letting the light hit each part. The way it glittered was mesmerising. 

“Thanks, Undyne. This is so cool!” You said.

Frisk smiled and pushed the larger present toward you, “Ok, Nat! Open this next!”

Sitting the box in front of you, you started tearing off the wrapping paper. Once you saw what it was, you laughed.

“Mom helped me buy it once I told her that I accidentally broke your coffee maker when I moved in.” Frisk said, “It’s supposed to not only be really good at making hot coffee, but cold brew coffee too!”

“This is awesome, Frisk! We’re gonna make so much coffee with this thing!” You grinned up at them.

“Hell yeah we are!” They said, “Now open the last one!”

You ripped the paper off the smaller package and were presented with two mugs. One of them had half of a red heart and had the word “Best” written in it, the other one had a half of a blue heart that read “Buds.”

“I thought it’d be cool for us to have friendship mugs!” Frisk said, their smile bright, “Do you like them?”

“I do!” You said, studying them, “But… why are the heart halves two different colors?”

“That’s because of our souls!” They said, reaching over to point at the mugs, “The red one is mine, and the blue one is yours.”

You knew about humans having different colored souls, most people did, but you never tried to find out when color yours was.

“How did you know?” You asked.

“I can read other people’s souls!” Frisk said proudly, “I think it’s part of my determination levels being so high.”

“That’s neat.” You said, rubbing a thumb over the smooth surface of one of the mugs. “This is really awesome, Frisk. Thank you… Thank you all for the presents.”

Everyone gave a collective ‘you’re welcome’ and you just smiled. This was all so new. It made you a little anxious, but all in all it just felt nice.

Frisk walked over to the counter and grabbed some cups, setting them next to the punch bowl.

“So, anyone want a cup of the jungle juice I made?!”

  
  


You were just drinking the juice to make Frisk happy until you got on your second cup full. Once the alcohol hit, you were actually starting to like it.

“Frisk, we should have a pitcher of this stuff in the fridge at all times.” You said.

Frisk patted your shoulder, “I don’t think that’s a good idea buddy, but I appreciate your enthusiasm.”

You were all sitting around the tv in the living room. You watched as Undyne, Alphys, Frisk, and even Toriel played some sort of first person shooter game that you weren’t familiar with. All you knew was that Alphys was kicking everyone’s asses at it.

Everyone had a little bit to drink, but it seemed that the alcohol was affecting you most of all. Hell, Frisk didn’t look like they were intoxicated at all and you swore they were on their fourth cup of the juice.

You were a little surprised when there was a knock on the door around eight pm. You watched as Frisk jumped up from the couch and nearly ran to answer it.

* * *

 

Sans was standing on the porch of Frisk and Miss Clayborne’s house. He was thankful that the house was a little ways from campus, that way there was less of a chance of any students seeing him there. That didn’t mean he wasn’t nervous about this, though. Standing outside of one of his student’s house, about to knock on the door… to Sans, just that small action seemed dangerous. He’d worked so hard to get to where he was, and he didn’t want to throw it all away on a misunderstanding.

One thing he kept reminding himself was that this was Frisk’s house too. He could tell anyone that he was just visiting them. Everyone knew who Frisk was and knew that the two of them were good friends. Nobody thought anything of it… Well, not anymore.

He shook the thoughts away and took another step toward the door, one hand holding the gift he’d brought, the other raised and ready to knock. He hesitated. It’d be so easy just to turn around and leave. There’d be no worrying about the situation, monday would come and class would be normal with new students coming in. 

Letting out a sigh, he willed himself to give a few knocks on the door and wait. He reminded himself, once again, that he was doing this for Frisk and Papyrus.

The door opened and Frisk stood there, a huge smiled on their face.

“Heya, Dr. Linguini! Fancy seeing you here!” They said.

“yeah, yeah. i’m here, but i’m only coming in for a few minutes.” Sans said.

Frisk crossed their arms over their chest, “Seriously, dude? You’re already here, you might as well stay for a bit.”

“look, frisk, we’ve already been over this. if anyone sees me here-”

“They’ll think you are visiting your ‘ole pal Frisk!” Frisk said, throwing their arms out in the air, “Sans, don’t be a stick in the mud. Come on in, the others have been here for a bit and we’re all having fun!”

Sans sighed, “i’m not making any promises, kiddo.”

“I’m not asking you to.”

Frisk grabbed Sans’ arm and pulled him inside the house. He peered into the living room and saw everyone gathered around the tv.

“Look who’s here, everyone!!!” Frisk yelled out.

Everyone in the living room turned and welcomed Sans. He just smiled and waved lazily.

“hey, guys. sorry i’m late, i had a skele _ ton _ of work to get done.” He said.

Toriel and Alphys laughed while Undyne groaned loudly.

“Nevermind! We don’t want you here!” She said, causing everyone to laugh harder.

“Come on, bud. Lemme show you the jungle juice I made!” Frisk said, dragging Sans off into the kitchen.

“jungle juice?”

“Yeah!” They said, showing him the punch bowl.

“i’m gonna be honest with ya, pal… that doesn’t look all that appetizing.” Sans said.

“Oh hush and try i- Hey, whatcha got there?”

Frisk noticed the present that Sans had tucked under his arm. 

“it’s just a present i brought for miss clayborne.” 

Frisk let out a tiny gasp as he pulled the book out.

“It’s your joke/physics book!!” They said, “You’re giving it to Nat?!”

“yeah. i don’t need it anymore and… well, i didn’t really have anything else i thought she might like.” He said.

“HEY NATASHA, CAN YOU COME IN HERE A MOMENT?!” Frisk shouted.

Sans glared at Frisk, who smirked back.

“Yeah, Frisk?” She came walking into the room, stopping when she saw Sans.

“Oh, hey, Dr. Spaghetti.” She said, sounding a little unsure.

“miss clayborne.” He said.

Frisk groaned, “Oh my GOD you two. Can you act like normal people in a social setting?!”

“i’m not a normal person, frisk, i’m a skeleton.”

Frisk shot a look at Sans before stepping between the two of them.

“Ok. Here’s how it’s gonna go. Sans, this is my roommate and friend, Natasha.” They turned to look at you, “Natasha, this is my friend Sans.”

“Uh.” 

“i…” 

Frisk sighed rather loudly.

“We are not at school! It is ok to talk casually here.” They said, looking between their two friends. “It’s going to drive everyone mad if you spend the whole time talking to each other so formally!”

Sans huffed a small laugh at Frisk’s exasperation and glanced over at Natasha.

“yeah okay kid. happy birthday natasha.” He handed her the book and she fumbled for a moment before setting her cup on the counter.

“Really, Dr. Spag-” Frisk cleared their throat, “S-Sans. You didn’t need to get me anything. This was pretty… impromptu?”

Sans shrugged, “it’s your birthday.” 

Natasha flipped open the book and looked intrigued by its contents, but when she flipped a few pages, her brow furrowed. As she kept turning, the crease between her brows only grew deeper. After a moment, realization crossed her face.

“This is that book Frisk was telling me about! You had it underground, right?!”

Her sudden excitement surprised him. He nodded.

She flipped through the book some more and held it upside down, shaking it a little. 

“How does it work?! This is amazing!” 

Sans smiled, “magic.”

Frisk let out a laugh and Natasha tried to give him a disappointed look, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“This is really awesome, Sans! Thank you!!” She said, clutching the book to her chest.

Sans reached up and rubbed the back of his skull, “heh, its nothin’.”

“Here, you two!” Frisk piped up, walking over and handing Sans and Natasha two cups. “Here’s that jungle juice, Sans. And I refilled your cup, Nat.”

Sans took the cup and looked into it. The fruity scent hit him and he nearly winced.

“It’s not as bad as it looks… or smells!” Natasha said, noticing his hesitation.

“Gee, thanks.” Frisk said.

Sans took a sip from the cup. He couldn’t pinpoint the flavor of it, all he knew was that it tasted like pure fruit syrup. When he tilted the cup back down he noticed Natasha looking at him curiously.

“How does that work when you’re a skeleton?” She asked, “Where does it go?”

There was a split second of silence before Frisk burst into laughter.

“Oh my god, Nat! You don’t just ask people how their bodies work!”

There was the slightest hint of red on her dark cheeks. “O-oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you or anything!”

Sans snickered, “it’s nothing, kid. but let’s just say that uh… i’m not a skeleton so much as i’m a monster that just looks like a skeleton.”

“Ok, so magic?” She said, her lips curving up into a smile once again.

“now you’re getting it.”

Frisk opened their mouth to say something when a voice came booming from the living room.

“FRISK, GET IN HERE AND HELP ME KICK MY WIFE’S ASS!” Undyne shouted.

“I’M ON MY WAY!” Frisk called back as they bolted out of the kitchen.

Sans shook his head and looked down at his drink again.

“You really don’t have to drink it, you know.” Natasha spoke up.

“heh, yeah… i’m just gonna…” Sans’ words trailed off as he set his drink on the counter.

Natasha chuckled and took another sip of her’s. “It isn’t so bad after you’ve drank a good bit of it.”

Sans cocked a brow, “how many cups of this stuff have you had?”

She looked into her cup, “Uhh, I’m not really sure.”

Sans watched as she set her drink next to his and looked at the book he’d given her.

“Hey, I’m gonna go put this in my room before something happens to it. Thank you again, this is really nice of you.”

“like i said, it’s no big deal.”

Natasha smiled and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Sans standing there rocking on his heels with his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket.

He was definitely out of his comfort zone here. He felt like he should leave, but he knew that would disappoint his friends.

He sighed and attempted to reassure himself that this was fine. It was just a get-together between friends and acquaintances.

Natasha came back into the kitchen, smiling nervously and pushing some of her curls out of her face as she caught his eye.

“So, uh… How are you?” She asked.

“doing alright. how about yourself?”

“Doing well. The party is great! Frisk really outdid themselves.”

“yeah, they really like making their friends happy.” Sans said.

There was a moment of silence. Sans stared at the floor, unsure of what to say next.

“Um, this… this is kinda awkward isn’t it?” Natasha spoke, “You being in your student’s house, I mean, is that awkward? It seems like it’d be awkward.”

She seemed a little flustered, but she wasn’t wrong.

“it is a little awkward.” He admitted.

“You can leave, if you want to. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable here.”

There was Sans’ opportunity. Natasha was offering him a chance to slip out, guilt free. Well, almost guilt free.

“that’s ok, why don’t we just join the others in the living room?” Sans said.

Her smiled widened a bit, “Yeah, sure, that sounds good.”

Sans started to remove his hand from his pocket to grab his drink when she reached over and picked it up instead.

She downed it all and set it back down in one, smooth motion.

“Alright, let’s go!”

Sans blinked, still staring at his empty cup. Should he tell her? Would she freak out? He shouldn’t drink her’s should he?

“You coming?” Natasha asked, pulling his attention away from the cup.

“uh, yeah. i’m right behind you.”


	6. Rough Gem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all are liking the story so far!!   
> Enjoy!  
> -Paigey

You woke up Sunday morning with a bit of a headache, you’d had more of that jungle juice than you probably should have. Thankfully, you were able to sleep in.

You slowly pushed yourself up into a seated position on the bed and stretched your arms overhead. As you grabbed your glasses from the nightstand, you recognized the book Dr. Spaghetti had given you laying there. You smiled and pushed yourself up off the bed and dragged your feet to the bathroom.

Looking at yourself in the mirror, you sighed. Your hair was an absolute wreck, how drunk were you? You grabbed a hair tie and pulled it back away from your face. After finishing up in the bathroom, you made your way out into the kitchen where you saw Frisk near the new coffee maker.

“Hey Frisk. How are you feeling? Sleep well?” You asked.

Frisk turned to look at you. Their normal, laid back smile was plastered on their face, but dark circles sat beneath their eyes.

“I’m alright. Didn’t get much sleep, but it’s all good. I got the coffee maker all set up for ya! I’ve had two cups already.” They said.

“Geez, Frisk. Did the alcohol keep you up or something?”

Frisk shook their head. “Nah, just couldn’t sleep. I get like that sometimes.”

You could understand that, you’d had your fair share of sleepless nights.

Walking over to the coffee maker, you grabbed your new mug and smiled when you saw that Frisk was using theirs too.

“So how did  _ you _ sleep?” Frisk asked.

You raised a brow, “Fine. Why are you asking it like that?”

“No reason.” They said, their smile only growing, “How’d you like your party?”

You began making your coffee as you talked, “I really enjoyed it. Thank you again for throwing me one.”

“Nothing to thank me for, bud. You deserved a good birthday party!”

After adding plenty of cream and sugar to your coffee, and popping a couple of pain relievers, you sat down with Frisk in the living room. They had already turned on the tv and had it set at a low volume.

“So… Did you enjoy seeing everyone?” They asked.

“I did. Undyne and Alphys are really awesome, and it was sweet of Asgore to call.” You said.

“What about Sans?”

“What about him?”

“Did you like hanging out with him?”

You leaned back against the arm of the couch and looked at them, “I guess. I mean, it was a little awkward having my professor here.”

Frisk smirked, “It didn’t seem too awkward once the two of you came in here with the rest of us, what with you both nerding out and him telling all those science jokes.”

Frisk wasn’t wrong. It was a little less weird when you and your professor had started discussing a mutual interest, that and you were beginning to understand what everyone meant by him being a jokester. Once he got started, he just couldn’t seem to stop.

“He’s a funny guy, for sure. I just hope you know that I’m still going to call him Dr. Spaghetti.” You said.

They groaned, “Nat, you’re killing me here.”

You chuckled at their mock pain, “It’d be unprofessional to call him by his first name on campus.”

“Ugh, and let me guess, you’re afraid of what people might say about it too?”

“Yeah, there’s that too.”

Frisk groaned even louder and threw their arms over their face, “Oh my god, you sound just like him. There’s nothing wrong with a friendship between two adults, and if anyone has something to say about it, I can shut it down like before!”

“Before?”

Frisk looked at you and sat up a little straighter, “Oh man, I didn’t tell you. Ok, so when I first started going to school here, a rumor started up that Sans and I were involved with one another.”

You cringed, “So how did that go?”

“I told everyone that he was banging my mom.”

You raised your eyebrows, “Really?”

They nodded, “Sure did! And it definitely got everyone off my back about it. Like, I don’t get it. Sans and I are really good friends, why do people have to go and make it seem like it’s anything more than that?”

“Yeah, at least you got that settled.” You said, “Speaking of your mom, you said they weren’t an item anymore right? I figured it’d be awkward for them last night, but they seemed really comfortable around one another.” 

“Oh, they’re still friends”

“Well that’s g-”

“With benefits.”

You stared at Frisk, a bewildered look on your face. “Why would you tell me that?”

“Hey, I need someone to share this information with.” They said, “If you think it’s weird, imagine how I feel.”

You laughed, “I don’t think it’s weird, I just think it’s strange that you are so open about it.”

Frisk sighed as they laid back on the couch, their legs sticking up in the air on the back part of it. 

“I don’t know. It’s just a little bizarre going underground, meeting the mother you always wished you’d had, making a new best friend, and them forming this relationship with one another.”

They looked over at you. “I’m really glad you’re so cool because it’s been hard to make friends that aren’t like… involved with my other friends. I mean, I’m happy for like Undyne and Alphys and all but it’s just weird when everyone’s in relationships and that’s just… not my thing?”

You smiled, “I gotcha, friendo. And you’re pretty cool too, even if you are a little wild.”

Frisk grinned and slapped at your leg playfully, “Oh shush, dude.”

This was the first bit of serious emotion you’d seen from your roommate. You were unsurprised to see them go right back to their smiley, goofy self though. You began to wonder if there was more that they’d like to talk about, but were just unsure of.

“Anyway, I’m really glad you enjoyed the party! And I’m also glad that you like your gifts.” They said.

You looked at the mug in your hands, running your thumb over the picture of the blue heart-half. 

“So, you said that my soul is blue.” You said, “What does that mean exactly? I know about souls, but I never really looked into the different colors.”

“Oh man, ok, so first let me remind you that there are seven human soul colors, and they each hold a unique trait. Yours is mostly blue, which means that you have more integrity than you do the other ones.”

“Integrity?”

Frisk nodded, “Yeah, you’re a very honest person and have strong moral compass… also-”

They situated themselves back into a seated upright position on the couch and began staring at your chest, it was a little strange until they spoke up again.

“There are tiny threads of purple, which stands for perseverance.” Their focused eyes lingered a little longer before they smiled back at you, “You’ve got a really strong soul, Nat!”

You were a little flustered not only from the staring, but from the compliment.

“Thanks, Frisk.”

They leaned back on the opposite end of the couch, “Heh, sorry if that was a little weird. I just wanted to get a better look at your soul.... It’s uh… you’ve been through some stuff, haven’t you?”

You finished off the rest of your coffee while you thought about how to answer that. You weren’t expecting that, and you really sure how much you wanted to reveal about your past.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to pry.” They said, “You don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to.”

You couldn’t help but let a tiny smile cross your lips. Frisk was an absolute gem… Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to tell them a few things.

“Growing up was hard.” You started, “I was passed around to different foster families, but never stayed in one for too long. It didn’t seem like anyone really wanted me.”

“Why?” Frisk asked.

You shrugged, “I don’t know. It doesn’t really matter, I was happy to get away from most of those families anyway.”

“Were you ever adopted?”

You shook your head, “Nah, but I see it as a good thing, ya know? I don’t have anyone to hold me back or anything.”

There was a stretch of silence once you decided that you didn’t want to stay on that subject any longer. Frisk looked at you, their eyes full of concern.

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” They said.

“It’s ok, Frisk, really. It isn’t a big deal.” You tried to give them a reassuring smile, “Everything is better now, that’s all in the past.”

You stood from the couch, “I’m gonna go make sure I have everything prepared for class tomorrow.”

“Ok… Did you want to hang out later or something? Watch a movie maybe?” Frisk asked.

“Yeah, movie sounds good.”

You made your way into your room and closed the door behind you, turning the lock quietly. You let out a sigh as you flopped over onto your bed. You really did need to get all your stuff together, but for the time being you just wanted to rest and think of anything but your past.

That was over and done with, there was no point in dwelling on it anymore. What would your soul have to do with all that anyway?

That familiar feeling of dread creeped through you and you began looking around the room for a distraction when your eyes landed on the book Dr. Spaghetti had given you.

A book with science AND jokes? Perfect.

You grabbed the book from the table and flipped it open, forcing yourself to focus on the magical literature in front of you instead of all the pain you’d left behind.

 


	7. Off to a Rocky Start

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this Frisk is so my self insert  
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

Monday started off a little rocky. You arrived at class to see some new students there rather early. Your usual seat was still open, so you went ahead and made yourself comfortable. Dr. Spaghetti was, of course, a few minutes late. As he walked into the room his eyes quickly settled on a monster who had been seated before you arrived. Dr. Spaghetti sighed out an exasperated chuckle before addressing the short, lumpy shaped guy.

“jerry, we do this every year bud. this isn’t your class. you’re not registered at this university. i can’t just let you sit in on lessons. remember, we tried that the first time and you thought it’d be a great idea to cover my board with spitwads? out.”

With a heavy huff, the small monster, Jerry, got out of his seat with a clatter, dragging it partially across the floor and ramming it into another student’s desk before snagging his bag off the back of it and knocking the chair fully over in the process. He shuffled his way down the aisle, bumping into people with his grungy, sticky and frankly, disgusting smelling bag before slamming the door open and declaring in a high nasally voice - 

“I didn’t want to be in this class anyway! Rocks are for fucking losers.” The door swung quickly shut with a loud bang.

“well, our  _ opal _ jerry there sure is a little  _ schist _ .” Dr. Spaghetti said and the silent tension in the room was quickly broken with a scattering of giggles and snorts of appreciation. He started with a simple icebreaker for the class so each of you could learn a little more about one another. 

As everyone in the class took their turn, a few people stood out to you, for different reasons. One of them, named Minty, was a plant monster who vaguely reminded you of a pokemon. Another was this total Chad - named Devon, who gave off this arrogant vibe as soon as he opened his mouth. The last one that stood out to you was this, like, unbelievably hipster girl, who’s name was Melissa. She picked the seat next to you, complimenting you on your glasses while she looked through her own block-style frames and sipped on an iced coffee. All in all, you would say it was a pretty balanced group. 

Dr. Spaghetti went over what the program would be covering and did a quick review of what everyone would have learned in the pre-requisite courses leading up to his class. All while throwing in a few puns - probably to help the class become more comfortable in their new setting. But it seemed a little off to you, almost as if that particular lecture had been rehearsed several times to the point where he didn’t need to look at notes or anything. In fact, it seemed as though he was bored, which was definitely not something you’d expected from the Dr. Spaghetti who’d taught you last week. 

Tuesday was more of the same, and you weren’t sure if it was the fact that you’d gone over this section of the material already, or Dr. Spaghetti’s droning, monotonous lecture; but you just couldn’t keep focused. He seemed to deliver it extremely dryly. Gone were the engaging discussions on inner-earth fluid dynamics where the two of you would bounce current theories off each other and the room’s whiteboard would be covered in notes. 

You found your attention wandering to your classmates and eventually focused on the dimmed screen of Devon’s laptop in the row ahead of you. You saw him scrolling through page after page of articles featuring photos of Dr. Spaghetti and several other monsters from shortly after the monsters came to the surface with a focused frown on his face. He seemed to mostly be ignoring the lecture, only glancing up when the class would collectively chuckle at one of the scattered jokes - the favorite of the day seemed to be early on when someone seated behind you had asked about the syllabus handed out yesterday and Dr. Spaghetti had responded by telling him to “use his noodle.” - before reinforcing his scowl and hunching back over his laptop. 

Melissa nudged you back to attention several times but at some point you had began to doze off, only waking up when Dr. Spaghetti called on you to answer a question.

“miss clayborne, what can you tell me about-”

The timer on his desk buzzed, signaling the end of class. Everyone began getting their belongings together as he reminded the class of what material needed to be ready for the next class.

As you grabbed your things and headed out of the room, you caught Dr. Spaghetti’s eye. He had a somewhat uneasy look on his face, but simply waved as you left. You returned the gesture and headed for home.

 

\------------------------

 

_ It was dark, like being trapped in a room with no light whatsoever, and with each passing moment that room seemed to only grow darker. _

_ A feeling of terror gripped Frisk, and suddenly it was like the room was bursting with color… but not like fireworks, no, it was like swirling visions of mass chaos. _

_ Like a panic attack. _

_ That was definitely what Frisk was feeling, but there was a sort of disassociation to it. This wasn’t their anxiety spiraling out of control. It was affecting them, but it wasn’t them at all. _

_ Emotions washed over them. Fear, sadness, worry… it was only getting worse, and it was becoming harder to breathe. _

_ Frisk willed themselves to wake, to push themselves from the nightmare. _

_ They were determined. _

 

Frisk woke with a gasp. It took them a moment to calm down, for the room to stop spinning.

Looking over at the clock, they saw it was almost 6 AM. They sighed and began to reach for their phone when it started ringing. Picking it up, they saw that it was Sans.

“Hey, you alright?” They asked.

“heh, i was about to ask you the same thing.” Sans said, his voice hoarse.

Frisk sat up on the edge of their bed, rubbing at their face, “What was that, Sans?”

“panic attack.”

“Again?!”

“hey, i can’t control when these things happen.”

Frisk sighed again, “Are you gonna talk to me about what’s wrong?”

“it’s just stress and anxiety, nothing to worry about.” He said.

“Too late, I’m worried.”

Sans grumbled, “kid, it’s fine.”

“It’s really not, dude. Lately I’ve been seeing more of your nightmares than I do of my own dreams. Something’s up, why won’t you talk to me about it?”

“the same reason you won’t talk about what’s going on with you.”

They were both silent. This was something the two of them had been dancing around for 15 years… and Sans seemed to be getting tired of the dance floor.

“Sans-”

“don’t worry about it, frisk.”

The aggravation in their friend’s voice worried Frisk more than the nightmares themselves.

“You’ll let me know if something is up though, right?” They asked.

“yeah, i will.” Sans said, his voice a little softer than before, “you sure you’re alright?”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle, you know me.” Frisk let out a small chuckle.

“heh, ok… i’ll talk to ya later, kiddo.”

“Alright. Bye, Sans.”

“bye, frisk.”

The line went dead and Frisk laid their phone back on the nightstand. It was still early, and they didn’t have class for a few hours, they definitely had time to get some more slee-

_ He’ll figure it out eventually, you know… whether you tell him or not. _

Frisk groaned. So much for going back to sleep.

_ He’s smart. He’ll dissect the dreams, he’ll- _

“Shut up.”

_ He’s going to hate you. _

“SHUT UP!”

_ You can deny it all you want, but that doesn’t change anything. _

There was a soft knock at Frisk’s bedroom door.

“Frisk, is everything ok?”

Natasha’s voice was a pleasant surprise.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry about that, I didn’t mean to wake you.” Frisk said.

“Oh, you didn’t wake me. I’ve been up for about an hour… Did you want some coffee? Or were you going to sleep some more?” She asked.

The thought of sleep was tempting, but at the moment, Frisk knew better.

“Coffee sounds good!” Frisk said, pushing themselves out of bed. They ruffled their hair and smoothed it into a semblance of order before walking towards the door. They stared at themselves hard in the mirror mounted on the back of the door, their gaze flickering for a moment to a spot just over their reflection’s shoulder and finally forced a well practiced smile onto their features before pulling it open and strolling out into the hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit just keeps getting more interesting! :D


	8. Rock Bottom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love you nerds!  
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

Sans sat at his desk grading tests from the day before. It wasn’t a terribly difficult test, but he wasn’t going easy on them even if it was the first test of the semester.

Most of the students seemed to be doing fine. They understood the material and so far the test scores weren’t too bad.

But when he got to Miss Clayborne’s test, he was baffled. At first he thought he had graded it incorrectly, so he double checked. He was dumbfounded as he went over it a third time, closely studying the answers. It didn’t make any sense, some of these things they had gone over exhaustively in the first week. She had shown that she knew them before he had even mentioned them in class.

How could she have failed?

He sighed and rubbed his hand over the top of his skull, the bones lightly scraping together. There was something else going on here. Maybe she had test anxiety? Or maybe his lessons just weren’t getting through to her?

Setting her test to the side, he began to wonder if it might be beneficial for her to have one-on-one tutoring. Sans could work it into his schedule, his students’ grades were important, that was something he could definitely make time for. Miss Clayborne was too smart to be failing a test in the second week of class. That wasn’t just his opinion, knew for a fact she could pass this.

He started grading the next student’s test when his phone chimed. He grabbed it from the table and pulled up the new message.

 

**[Wednesday 3:18 PM]** **tori:**

Hey, bonehead! Ready for our date tonight?

 

Sans smiled, Toriel was one of his closest friends, and his ex. They dated for a couple of years after the barrier broke, but ultimately decided that it wasn’t meant to be. They were better off as friends.

**[Wednesday 3:19 PM]** **sans:**

yeah, ready for the buttspie?

and i dont mean the one in your oven ;)

 

**[Wednesday 3:21 PM]** **tori:**

OMG, Sans! :P I’ll see you at 7.

 

Sans smirked and laid the phone back down. While he and Tori weren’t an item any longer, they still had this routine of theirs. Of course, there was a mutual agreement that if either of them found someone they were interested in, they’d cut it off immediately, no strings attached. But for the time being, they would enjoy the time spent with one another.

Pushing himself back out of his thoughts, Sans focused back on his work. There were more tests to grade, and more lessons to plan for the future.

\------

Thursday afternoon you were laying around the house browsing nearby job openings on your laptop. You weren’t rushing to find a job right then, but you knew your savings weren’t going to last forever.

As you scrolled through different sites, your mind was elsewhere. Frisk seemed to be having trouble sleeping lately, and it worried you. If something was bothering them though, they didn’t show it. 

A knock sounded at the door and Frisk practically sprinted from the kitchen to answer it. You looked over the back of the couch and watched as they opened the door to Dr. Spaghetti standing on the front porch.

“Heya Dr. Macaroni! What’s up?” Frisk asked.

“hey, kid. i was just over at your mom’s place and she wanted me to stop by and drop off your weed.”

You raised your eyebrows. Weed?

He handed over a plastic bag with a yellow smiley face that said, “Have a nice day!” and you could swear you smelled old Chinese takeout. Really, really old takeout.

Frisk took the bag, which seemed to be wriggling a bit, “Oh hell yeah, man! 420 blaze it!!”

“FUCK YOU FRISK, YOU BETTER NOT FUCKING ‘BLAZE’ ME YOU GODDAMN, MOTHERFUCKING DICKWAD. I HATE YOU AND I HATE THIS FUCKING SMILEY TRASHBAG AND  **HE PUT ME IN A FUCKING SMILEY TRASHBAG** AND I AM GOING TO FUCKING EAT YOUR GODDAMNED PISS-LICKING SOULS.”

Your mouth was wide open in shock at that words coming from whatever was in the bag. Frisk just laughed and set it on the ground, opening it up and pulling it down to reveal some sort of flower creature in a pot. As you stared, it turned to look at you.

“WHAT’RE YOU LOOKING AT??”

Did… did that flower really just shout all those things?

“OH, SO YOU’RE CHILL WITH BAG OF BONES OVER THERE, BUT THE SECOND IT’S A TALKING FLOWER, YOU JUST CAN’T FUCKING DEAL??”

“Um, well, basically,” you answered lamely.

“WELL DON’T FUCKING STARE, ASSHOLE.”

“Flowey. Can you don’t?” Frisk rolled their eyes.

“geez, do you kiss your mother with that mouth?” Dr. Spaghetti muttered with thinly veiled disgust.

“NOT ANYMORE! SHE KICKED ME OUT, REMEMBER? AND SHE’S NOT MY MOM!” Flowey shouted, crossing vines and looking away with a huff.

Frisk sighed and picked the monster up, motioning for Dr. Spaghetti to come in. He stepped in and shut the door behind him. 

“I’m gonna take Flowey back to my room, why don’t you two hang out a minute.” Frisk said, walking a few feet before stopping to look back, “And I better not hear a “Dr.” or “Miss.” out of either of you!”

Dr. Spa-, er, Sans shrugged and stepped over, flopping back onto the opposite end of the sofa. He looked different from how he did in class. In place of his more professional attire, he was wearing a faded blue jacket and a loose pair of black basketball shorts which showed off the bones of his lower legs, even further down you noticed he had pink fuzzy slippers on his feet. He seemed so relaxed, like he couldn’t possibly be the same person who’d taught the week’s classes.

“So, um, is that a… friend of Frisk’s?” you asked, still kind of shaken by Flowey’s outbursts.

“yeah they go way back,” Sans answered carefully. “little  _ schist _ was living with tori for a while before, uh,” Sans nodded towards Frisk’s door, “that.”

“Did something happen?”

A small part of you was worried that Flowey had said or done something to Toriel. A much bigger part was concerned that he would try to harm you or Frisk.

“eh, nothing serious. just the usual temper tantrums.”

“Oh.” Great. So, that was going to be a regular occurrence, then. Well, what mattered was that you were going to be safe, right?

“I WILL FUCKING END YOU!”

You winced as you heard Flowey shout, which was barely muffled by Frisk’s door. It occurred to you that Flowey was all bark and no bite, but it didn’t stop your nerves from flaring up. A very, very large part of you wanted to just run and hide in your room until it was all over.

“hey. i wouldn’t worry too much about the weed, mi- er, natasha,” Sans reassured you. “flowey’s got a temper, but there’s a reason frisk’s the one we brought him to, ok?”

You nodded and took a deep breath. This was going to be fine. You were going to be fine. This situation was completely under control and you could absolutely handle the perpetual sass flower. This was going to be ok.

Eventually Flowey’s voice grew quieter and quieter until all you could hear were Frisk and Flowey’s muffled conversation. You weren’t quite sure what they were saying and, as curious as you were about what was going on, you also figured it’d be rude to eavesdrop, so you reached for the remote to hopefully get some background noise and make things a little less uncomfortable when Sans spoke up again.

“hey, so, i wanted to talk to you about something just real quick,” he said. “i know we’re not at school and it’s not the right time but i just finished grading the tests and, well, your score has me concerned.”

A sense of dread washed over you like a cold shower. It was  _ never _ good when a professor wanted to talk about a test, especially in that tone of voice. A small part of you held on to the fleeting chance that you’d completely overwhelmed him with your intelligence, but, when you remembered floundering over the ‘explain your reasoning’ questions, you knew you were doomed.

“you, uh, scored pretty low,” Sans said finally. He shifted uncomfortably on the couch. “i know you were doing really well the first week so i-” Sans stopped mid-sentence and sighed. “i mean, i just wanted you to know that tutoring is available if you need it. you have my office hours, right?”

The shock kind of blew right through you. You’d expected it, braced for it, but it still left you winded. This was your major, your focus, the one thing you  _ knew _ you excelled at. How could you have scored so low that Dr. Spaghetti was offering private tutoring?

“Yeah, they’re, uh, up on the website, right?” you asked, avoiding committing to anything just yet. You didn’t want to admit to needing help just yet. You  _ didn’t  _ need help. What you  _ did _ need was to focus and hit the books even harder than before. One failed test was not going to break you.

“yeah,” Sans answered, shifting around on the couch again. “i do hope you’ll take advantage of the tutoring. i’m not sure what happened, but it might help. i mean really, we offer it to all students who nee-”

“Thanks, but I’m sure I can figure out where I went wrong,” you replied, maybe a tad icier than you intended. “Sorry, it won’t happen again.”

Sans looked like he wanted to say something, but Frisk’s door opened and, for the moment, you both turned your attention to Frisk.

“Oh no. Guuuuuuuuuys, I said none of that school shit here,” Frisk groaned after seeing the two of you. After an awkward moment of silence, Frisk seemed to pick up on the tense atmosphere of the room. “Hey, is everything okay?”

“uh, yeah kid. we’re fine. i’m gonna head off though, i’ve got a few things i need to take care of. i’ll see you both later.” With that Sans stood and made his way to the door with Frisk tagging along, glancing worriedly back at you. Frisk stepped out the door behind Sans.

You sat stiffly on the sofa, staring ahead while you mulled over what he had said to you, You failed. You flunked. This was the one thing that you wanted in your life. This was the one thing that you felt you could be happy spending your life immersed in. And yet, here it was slipping through your fingers. I mean there’s no way you could be over-reacting about this, it’s your entire future and you could lose it in an instant. Maybe among the worst news delivered today though was the revelation that Dr. Spaghetti thought you couldn’t do it on your own. The person who inspired you the most felt that you weren’t up to the challenge. 

Ah, that’s what the feeling was. It was shame. You felt ashamed.


	9. Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3  
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

Over the next few days, Frisk had barely seen Nat leave her room. The few times Frisk _had_ seen her, Nat looked like a zombie. She hadn’t bothered to do anything with her hair besides keep it wrapped up, her eyes were bloodshot, and the only thing Frisk had seen her eat or drink was coffee. It was just a hunch, but Frisk was positive that whatever caused the sudden change in Nat’s behavior was to do with that awkward conversation they’d walked in on with her and Sans.

“Ugh, this is ridiculous!” Frisk grumbled, kicking an empty soda can across their room. “She’s been locked up in that room for days. I don’t even know if she’s been going to class or just.. Ughhhhh!”

_Why should that matter to you? It’s not like she’d be concerned if it was you all holed up in your room._

“You don’t know that! Nat’s a really good person!”

“Yeah, right,” Flowey rolled his eyes. “Come on, I know a goody goody act when I see one! She’s totally playing you!”

“Right, because you’ve had so many conversations with her.” Frisk kicked the can again.

“I don’t need to! No one is ever just that nice to people,” Flowey argued, using a pair of vines to scooch himself across Frisk’s nightstand. “Look, I get it. You like that she’s not boning trash bag like Mo- uh, goat lady, but come on! Only an idiot would trust someone they don’t even know!”

_And we know you’re not an idiot. Well, you can be sometimes, like when you reset after-_

“Shut. Up.”

Frisk did not need to hear that, didn’t need to think about that. Not now. No, this was about Nat, about helping her get out of the house. Obviously, it would take a lot more than just offering to go get coffee or lunch. Anything like that could just be ordered in, after all. Besides, Nat hadn’t even so much as laughed at Frisk’s jokes or goofed off with them at all.

No, if Frisk was going to get Nat out of this slump, they were going to have to call the most cheerful person they knew.

Frisk pulled out their phone and scrolled through their contacts, stopping at Papyrus’ number. They tapped the call icon and held the phone to their ear. It took all of two rings for him to pick up.

“FRISK!”

Frisk smiled, “Papyrus! Hey! How are you?”

“I’M DOING VERY WELL, HOW HAVE YOU BEEN? ARE YOU MAKING GOOD GRADES AT SCHOOL?”

Frisk chuckled, “I am Pap, but, um… You remember my roommate I told you about? Natasha?”

“I DO! YOU SAID SHE IS VERY NICE AND TAKES ONE OF THE CLASSES THAT SANS TEACHES!” He said.

“Yeah, that’s her.” Frisk told him, “She’s been down lately though and I’m not sure how I can get her out of this funk she’s in.”

There was a pause, Frisk figured that Papyrus might be thinking of what he should say next, or perhaps he was taking care of one of the cats since some meowing could be heard in the background.

“DO YOU KNOW WHAT MIGHT HAVE CAUSED IT?” He asked.

Frisk thought back to when it first started, “I think Sans might have said something to her. I mean, I don’t think he meant to upset her or anything. I just don’t know what they were talking about, I just know that Nat was really quiet afterward.”

“HMM… AND SHE WON’T TALK TO YOU ABOUT IT?”

Frisk sighed, “Nope. She has pretty much been avoiding me. That’s one reason why I called you, I was hoping you might be able to come by and cheer her up.”

“WHAT WAS THE OTHER REASON?”

“Um… Because I love you…?”

Frisk had to hold the phone away when Papyrus squealed.

“OF COURSE I WILL COME BY AND HELP CHEER UP YOUR ROOMMATE! NOBODY IS BETTER AT MAKING SOMEONE SMILE THAN THE GREAT PAPYRUS!”

Frisk giggled, “That’s so true. Alright, Paps, I’ll text you the address. We’ll probably be here all day, so just swing by whenever you get a chance!”

“WILL DO!”

Frisk was about to say bye when the line went dead. They just shook their head, that was Papyrus for you, always moving at high speed. After a minute or two of sitting on the couch fiddling with their phone, Frisk turned on the television and hopped up. They went over to Natasha’s room and knocked lightly on the door.

“Hey Nat? I have a friend coming over in a bit. Do you want to come out and say hey?” Frisk said.

There was a loud thump and the sound of probably several books falling off the desk before she came over and opened the door.

“Oh, uh, I don’t know. I’ve got a ton of catch-up work I need to do here. It’s really kinda keeping me bogged down right now?”

Frisk looked a little concerned. It was only the third week of classes and she was already neck deep in that much catch-up work? With a moment of insight, Frisk thought aloud, “Nat…” and they paused to look at the pile of texts and papers on her desk, “Is all of that actually assigned work? Because I know Sans at least hasn’t given anything big out yet. He usually doesn’t have the larger assignments to grade until at least April.”

“Actually, no.” She wandered back into the room, leaving the door open for Frisk to follow along behind her as she started to tidy up her stacks of reading. “I’ve been trying to get ahead in my studies. Dr. Spaghetti said that I did pretty awfully in that first test and I mean, I honestly don’t get why? It’s just, the first week that we were able to have actual discussion…” She trailed off for a moment, lost in thought before coming back to herself. “I felt for the first time that I was talking to someone on my level. He’s just as interested in this nonsense as I am and I felt that he was actually pushing me to learn more. I felt inspired. And then, when everyone else came in, it was like he was a completely different person. All that passion and excitement was gone. I couldn’t focus on anything he was saying and it all just droned together. I think he’s disappointed in me. Hell, I’m disappointed in me. Honestly,” she continued with a rueful smile, “I could read these books all day, but I already know most of what’s in them.”

“WOW. JUST BE MORE CONCEITED WHY DON’T YOU.” The two of them heard through the wall. Natasha flinched at Flowey’s yell while Frisk just started laughing.

With the mood broken, Frisk reached out to hug Natasha close and patted her firmly on the back.

“Nat, friend, I know you know all of this already. And I know that you’ve got this in the bag. I get the feeling that this whole thing was probably a fluke. You know what? I know for a fact that Sans thinks you’re pretty smart.” Frisk got a mischievous look in their eyes and grinned broadly, letting Natasha go and taking a few steps back, “But don’t ask to see my phone, because we talk about you entirely too much. And I’ve told him that you snore.”

“What? I do not!” Natasha indignantly shouted, chasing Frisk from her room.

Frisk laughed and danced into the living room with Natasha on their heels, holding the phone out of her reach before turning back.

“Now, since you’re /finally/ out of your room, come hang out for a while. Like I said, I have a friend coming over in a bit and I know he’d absolutely love to meet you.”

“Yeah, okay.” She sighed in defeat, flumping down on the couch.

“-And in an unprecedented landslide win, Senator Allison Burrwell has claimed the 8th district seat and confirming that the right will have a congressional supermajority for this next session. There is already widespread concern from several organizing officials on the left that the final polling numbers throughout this election are inconsistent with estimated results and there have been calls for a recount.” Natasha and Frisk shared a glance at each other, both vaguely concerned at the news report blaring through the living room. “Senator Burrwell has thus far been leading among conservative human voters with her repeated statements about the validity of monster citizenship. It’s suspected that, with backing of the conservative party, she will attempt to push legislation that may potentially limit -” Frisk cut the television off.

_I told you it was too good to be true._

“Okay, no. That’s enough of that. I just, I need to call Asgore later. Can you remind me to do that?” They looked concerned, glancing between Natasha and the TV.

“Y-yeah, absolutely. Hey, do you want to have some lunch?” Natasha asked with a hesitant smile on her face.

\-------------------

As if summoned by the word ‘lunch’ there was a loud, rapid knocking on the front door.

“Oh! That was faster than usual!” Frisk laughed, their usual jovial attitude falling back into place with a practically audible click. They bounded over to the door like an overly excited puppy and flung it open revealing -

Oh. Wow. Okay.

\- Revealing an extremely tall skeleton wearing a pair of cut off shorts and a crop top with what appeared to be a hand-screened geometric design across the front.

“Papyrus!” Frisk shouted, greeting him with wide open arms. Papyrus scooped Frisk up into a tight embrace and carried them into the house, catching the door behind him with a foot and slamming it closed.

“FRISK!” Papyrus bellowed. “I AM SO GLAD TO SEE YOU! I MEANT TO COME BY BEFORE, TO HELP YOU GET SETTLED IN AND ACT AS YOUR TRULY GREATEST FRIEND BUT TONTON GOT SICK AND NEEDED TO GO TO THE VET AND THEN SANS DECIDED TO GET HIS LAZY BUTT UP AND ENDED UP SWALLOWING SOME SORT OF TREE… SEED?” He had finally caught sight of you, still seated on the couch and placed Frisk gently down. “YOU MUST BE NATASHA, FRISK’S HUMAN FRIEND!” He quickly crossed the room with his hand out for a shake.

You forcibly pulled yourself from your worried musing about Dr. Spaghetti eating a tree seed and hastily stood up to shake the overly-exuberant skeleton’s hand. He gripped you firmly and, with visible restraint on his end, gently shook your entire arm. You couldn’t help the broad grin that spread across your face as he introduced himself.

“I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AND I AM VERY PLEASED TO MAKE YOUR ACQUAINTANCE AS BOTH MY VERY GREAT FRIEND, FRISK, AND MY VERY GREAT BROTHER, SANS, HAVE SPOKEN OF YOU ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THOUGH I AM QUITE SURE THAT WITH MY EXPERT FRIEND-MAKING ABILITIES, WE WILL BE FAR BEYOND AN ACQUAINTANCESHIP BEFORE TOO LONG.”

“It’s really great to meet you too, Papyrus! Frisk has said that you’re a really fantastic friend and I’ve been excited to see you too.” Frisk gave the two of you a thumbs up before jogging back to their room. They came out a moment later with Flowey held gently in their arms. Papyrus was overjoyed.

“MY BEST FRIEND! IT HAS BEEN TOO LONG! I HAD FORGOTTEN THAT MISS TORIEL HAD DECIDED THAT YOU WERE TOO OFFENSIVE AND OBSTINATE TO REMAIN UP TO YOUR OWN DEVICES AT HER HOME. IT IS SO GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN!” He went to grab Flowey from Frisk’s arms and you were somewhat taken aback when the grumbling, griping flower didn’t snap at the excited skeleton. In fact, if you didn’t know for sure that you were mistaken, you might have thought that he even leaned in a little when Papyrus gave him a hug.

“They really are best friends, oddly enough.” Frisk said from next to you. “I’m glad that it worked out that way. Papyrus is a really wonderful person.”

You nodded along, still surprised at the affection that Flowey consented to receiving from his current handler. With an anguished shout that Flowey flinched away from, Papyrus rounded on you both.

“WAIT! I FORGOT WHY FRISK CALLED ME! HUMAN-FRIEND NATASHA. YOU ARE FEELING SAD BECAUSE MY LAZY BROTHER SAID SOMETHING INCONSIDERATE TO YOU, IS THAT CORRECT?”

“Well, I mean, I bombed a test and took it pretty hard when he let me know, but it’s really not on him at all. Dr. Spaghetti is amazing and I guess I just took the letdown pretty hard. I’m definitely feeling a lot better though. It must be all thanks to the great Papyrus.” You finished with a genuine grin as his expression brightened.

“THAT IS EXCELLENT NEWS! I AM SO HAPPY TO HEAR THAT!” He gently swung Flowey back and forth in his arms and you noticed that the flower looked relaxed and almost happy as he was cradled by the larger monster. “I HAD TAKEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO PREPARE FOR US ALL A LUNCH OF PAPYRUS SPAGHETTI’S WORLD FAMOUS SPAGHETTI FOR US TO ENJOY; IN HOPES THAT IT MIGHT LIFT YOUR SPIRITS. BUT I SEE NOW THAT INSTEAD OF THE SPAGHETTI OF CONSOLATION AND CHEERING, WE WILL BE ENJOYING THE SPAGHETTI OF NEW FRIENDSHIP!” Papyrus hastily passed Flowey back off to Frisk and raced out the door, slamming it once again behind him.

“Well, he’s fun.” You said, staring worriedly at the door.

“He’s the best.” Frisk replied, staring fondly at the door.

“He’s okay.” Flowey grumbled, frowning at the door.

You would later be able to say that Papyrus Spaghetti’s World Famous Spaghetti lived up to its reputation. It was spectacular.


	10. What A Load Of Schist!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy!  
> -Paige

“And now we return to our coverage of the 20XX election cycle. Despite many critics on the left following today’s announcement, the justice department has officially stated that there will  **not** be a recount of the recent controversial, landslide win by Senator Allison Burrwell. They have expressed that there is not sufficient evidence at this time from any third-party group to suggest that the results were tampered with and that the senator’s win will stand. Already, there are rallys planned state-wide to show support for Senator Burrwell and some local police officials are beginning to put out advisory statements to all monster citizens encouraging them to exercise caution when traveling near a planned rally. While we-”

Sans huffed loudly and flicked off the TV, staring at the blank screen in irritation. Fifteen years on the surface, their rights assured and their citizenship confirmed and now this. The doorbell rang and he looked up from the television in surprise, he wasn’t expecting anyone. He stood and dragged his feet all the way to the door and opened it up, only to immediately be scooped up into a hug.

“BROTHER! IT IS SO GOOD TO SEE YOU!!” Papyrus squealed.

Sans let out a chuckle, his irritation evaporating, as his younger brother set him back on his feet and stepped into the house. 

“it’s good seeing you too pap. what brings you by?” Sans asked, closing the front door back.

“WELL, FRISK CALLED ME EARLIER TELLING ME THAT THEIR TALLER, HUMAN FRIEND WAS IN A BIT OF A FUNK AND ASKED IF I COULD COME OVER TO CHEER HER UP!” Papyrus smiled, striking a pose with his hands on his hip bones, “IT WAS NOTHING THE GREAT PAPYRUS COULDN’T HANDLE! NYEH HEH! WHEN I LEFT THERE, SHE WAS SMILING ONCE AGAIN!”

Sans’ brow furrowed, “na- err, miss clayborne isn’t feeling well?”

“SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE WAS RATHER UPSET AT THE NEWS THAT SHE BOMBED THE TEST IN YOUR CLASS, BUT I THINK SHE IS IN BETTER SPIRITS ABOUT IT NOW!”

A frown crossed Sans’ face. He hadn’t meant to upset Miss Clayborne. He would need to speak with her, make sure she understood that he didn’t mean-

“SANS?”

Sans blinked, “yeah, bro?”

“IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT?”

“yeah pap, you know me. i’m always ok.” Sans said with a shrug as he and Papyrus wandered towards the kitchen. Even after all this time, it was still the place where the two of them felt most at home when together. “how’s it been going with you and mettaton? did undyne get in touch with you guys about going with her and alphys over the summer?”

Papyrus noted the expected misdirection as he opened Sans’ fridge, doing a quick check that his older brother had more in there than several opened ketchup bottles and an empty bag of chips, and sure enough, while old habits die hard, it looked like in addition to those items Sans had picked up some actual food recently too. Satisfied, he closed the door and rounded on his brother.

“YES! IN FACT, UNDYNE, ALPHYS, METTATON AND I WILL BE LEAVING FOR JAPAN IN LATE JULY. I’VE ALREADY COORDINATED WITH THE VOLUNTEERS AT THE SANCTUARY TO HAVE EXTRA STAFF ON HAND FOR THE CATS. IN FACT, HE SHOULD BE GETTING BACK FROM TOUR IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS. YOU SHOULD DROP BY FOR DINNER.” 

“sure thing bro, that sounds like it’d be nice.”

“OKAY BROTHER, TALK TO ME. TELL ME WHAT IS WRONG. YOU’VE BEEN DOWN EVER SINCE YOU FOUND OUT ABOUT THE HUMAN GOVERNMENT RETRACTING THEIR OFFER FOR THE SCIENCE JOB, BUT YOU’RE ACTING DIFFERENT. DID SOMETHING HAPPEN?”

Sans rested his head on the table. Of course Papyrus would bring up the position at the NSF. He had been tapped last May to spend the following year assessing grant proposals with the National Science Foundation and then at the last minute - less than two weeks before classes were due to start - they rescinded the offer. The official reason behind it was a sudden drop in funding, however Sans had pulled a few strings and as it turns out, the incoming director wasn’t exactly a terribly vocal supporter of monster rights. 

Politics. It always came down to politics.

“pap, it’s cool. the university gave me my normal classes for the semester and i don’t know that i would’ve wanted to spend a year in dc anyway. there’s just been all that bother on the news about that burrwell lady and i have a full program at work that i’m stressing over. you know me. i worry, but i won’t fracture.” He glanced up at his brother to see if he would pick up on the joke.

“YOU KNOW WHAT YOU NEED, BROTHER?” Papyrus asked, eyes narrowed at Sans’ pun.

“what?” 

Papyrus picked his brother up and started toward the stairs. Despite Sans’ protests, Papyrus didn’t put him down as he made his way up to the loft.

The loft was more tidy than most of the house, though it still looked well lived in. The room was hardwood mostly, but at the end there was a small section that was carpeted. The wall was slanted and a large window covered most of it. Underneath the window laid a simple bed with messy sheets. Papyrus laid his brother down on the bed and walked over to a small bookshelf in the corner of the room.

Sans stared up through the window at the sky. He had a different bedroom on the first floor of the house, but this was his favorite spot to sleep. 15 years had passed and he still loved nothing more than to see the stars as he fell asleep and to be woken up by the sun.

“pap, what are you doing?” Sans asked.

“LOOKING FOR A BOOK.” He said, “IS THERE ONE YOU LIKE TO READ BEFORE BEDTIME?”

Sans sighed, “bro, i’m… well, let’s just say i’m not a baby bones anymore, i don’t need a bedtime story.”

Papyrus didn’t say anything as he grabbed a book from the shelf and walked back over to the bed, smoothing out the sheet before sitting down.

“WELL, REGARDLESS, I HOPE YOU ARE PREPARED TO HEAR THE THRILLING STORY OF…” He squinted at the blue and yellow cover before clearing his throat and shouting with disgust, “GEOPHYSICS, REALISM AND INDUSTRY: HOW COMMERCIAL INTERESTS SHAPED GEOPHYSICAL CONCEPTIONS, 1900-1960. SANS, YOUR BOOK COLLECTION IS JUST AWFUL. LUCKILY FOR YOU, A GREAT BROTHER ALWAYS COMES PREPARED!” Papyrus placed the book on the bedside table and power-walked out of the room. As Sans listened to Papyrus clattering around downstairs, he sighed into his pillow and allowed his eyes to unfocus. 

He was startled from his doze a moment later as Papyrus careened into his room again, plopping down onto Sans’ bed and reclining next to him.

“so what’d you grab, bro?”

“LIKE I SAID, A GREAT BROTHER, SUCH AS MYSELF, ALWAYS COMES PREPARED.” He flashed a sleek tablet and tabbed over to an ebook he had pulled up. “IF I CAN’T DEPEND ON YOU HAVING A DECENT STOCK OF BEDTIME STORIES OF YOUR OWN, I WILL HAVE TO PROVIDE WHERE I CAN. IS ‘PEEK-A-BOO WITH FLUFFY BUNNY’ SATISFACTORY FOR YOU?”

Sans smiled happily up at Papyrus, not bothering to dim the genuine adoration and affection he held for his exceptionally cool little brother.

“i dunno pap, i’ve not read something that fluffy in years.”

“SANS,” Papyrus warned, narrowing his eyes, “NO.”

Sans allowed himself to drift as Papyrus got further into the story. The familiar words were soothing and he soon found himself dozing again. He was resting peacefully by the time his brother finished reading, sniffling a little at the ending. 

* * *

_ “Didn’t you say you were bored?” _

_ “Yeah, but-” _

_ “But nothing, Frisk! Just do this… See what it feels like. If you don’t like it, you can always reset.” _

_ Frisk took a step forward, their grip on the knife tightening, “This… this doesn’t feel right.” _

_ “Oh that’s just you letting your stupid morality get in the way. Set that aside and you’ll know how its supposed to feel.” _

_ “But, Chara…” _

_ “Frisk, buddy, listen to me. You are trapped down here. The only way you’re getting out of here is by letting the king kill you and use your soul to break the barrier. So you’re stuck unless you know of some secret passage way out that these monsters don’t.” _

_ Frisk held their breath as they stared down the innocent Froggit in front of them. _

_ “These monsters don’t have souls like we do. Their’s are weak, they wither away into dust when they die. They don’t mean a thing. Besides, like I said, you can always reset… Don’t you want to know what it feels like?” _

_ “I…” _

_ “Don’t you want to know power?” _

_ “Chara…” _

_ “Frisk. Don’t deny yourself this opportunity. These monsters would kill you if they could. They only want your soul so they can escape. Think of all the other children they have murdered for their own selfish desires.” _

_ … _

_ “Don’t you want to deliver them justice?” _

_ Frisk thought for a moment before raising their knife in the air. _

_ “Yeah… I do.” _

_ ~~~~~~~ _

_ Sans grasped the nearest movable object, a trash can in this case, with his magic and threw it across the room in frustration.  _

_ “Why does this keep happening?!” He screamed into the emptiness of his workshop. _

_ His journals were empty, but he had this strange Deja Vu. It was like he had written in them before… but the words had just disappeared. _

_ Something was going on, and it was out of his control. He felt as though he’d been here before. _

_ Nothing was making sense. He had asked Papyrus if anything seemed off, but his brother hadn’t noticed anything different. He’d also talked to Alphys, but it produced the same result. _

_ He was the only one that felt this way. _

_ Thinking back to his childhood, he remembered it. He remembered his father, Gaster, and his experiments. Sans never had a say in what happened to him, even though Gaster would always ask… he didn’t have a choice. _

_ Those experiments had to be the reason why Sans was feeling this way, why he was alone in these thoughts. _

_ He looked toward the garbage that had been thrown from the trash can, his gaze fell on a vial he had taken from the lab and tossed not too long ago, but of course he had never bothered to actually take it to the dump, or to destroy it.  _

_ The vial glowed bright red. Determination. _

_ If that was the reason he had these feelings… could it possibly cause him to remember more? _

_ He hesitated at first, but eventually crossed the room and grabbed it up. Moving it around in his hand, he stared at the way the DT moved sluggishly inside its glass prison. _

_ There was no way to know the side effects of this, he had only ever been given small dosages over time. But he had to try. He had to figure this all out. _

_ Grabbing a syringe from a nearby drawer, he filled it with half the vial’s amount.  _

_ Attaching a fresh needle to the syringe, he brought it to his arm. _

_ Took a breath _

_ And took the plunge. _


	11. It’s Not Tourmaline, It's Trope-aline.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy!  
> -Paige

Frisk woke with a start, panting and sweating in bed. They kicked the sheets back, shoved their damp hair out of their face and then sighed heavily.

“You know,” Flowey quietly mused from the bedside table, watching Frisk closely, “we never did figure out what that smiley trashbag was shooting up with ahead of…” He paused before glancing aside, “Well, you know.”

_ We should have asked him when we had the chance. _

Flowey and Frisk both looked up sharply. Flowey stared hard at Frisk for a moment before Frisk’s phone went off on the table next to Flowey’s pot. 

“C’mon, hush!” They said as they grabbed their phone and answered with a swipe, their voice still rough from sleep. “Hey Sans, how are you doing?”

“not so great, obviously.” Sans said through the phone, “what about you?”

Frisk frowned at the bit of annoyance in Sans’ voice, “Listen, Sans, these nightmares are just as hard on me as they are on you. Can you not be irritated at me every time we rehash one of these?” Frisk sighed heavily into the phone at the silence from the other end of the line. “It’s just that for the last three months, ever since these started coming back, the first thing I’ve heard most mornings has been you griping at me. It’s getting old. Maybe if you would just take it easy-”

“are you serious?” Sans sounded livid. “take it easy? maybe i wouldn’t gripe at you quite so much after these stupid dreams if you would just tell me what you’re seeing.” 

_ I told you so. I told you so. _

Flowey hissed at the sing-song taunting while Frisk frantically patted the air towards Flowey, signaling him to keep it down.

“listen, you aren’t foolin’ me here kid. i know that there’s a whole lot about all of this that you’re not explaining to me, tori, or anyone. i’ve given you and your weed space on this issue and we both know that the royal pain in the ass sure hasn’t done shit to deserve that.” Sans huffed and Frisk heard him fall back into the pillows as his voice lost the angry edge. He sounded exhausted. “i’m trying to give you the benefit of the doubt here, but i need you to work with me. stop working against me, frisk.”

Frisk scooted back against their headboard and shared a lingering glance with Flowey.

“I’m not working against you Sans. I see the same thing you do every night and just like you, I don’t remember. I don’t know what it is that you want from me. I’m not hiding anything. I mean it.”

“kid, i’ll talk to you later. i can’t do this with you right now.” With an aggravated sigh he hung up. 

Frisk just stared at the phone for a moment in their hand. That really could have gone better. 

“You know,” Flowey piped up from his perch beside the bed, “I think that’s the first time you’ve straight up lied to him about this.”

Frisk groaned and ran their hand back through their hair, “It’s not like I want to lie about this stuff, it’s just that… well… you know.”

Flowey rolled his eyes, “He’s going to find out eventually.”

“Well, today is not that day.” Frisk said, looking down at their phone. It was too early for class, but too late to go back to sleep. Looking at the date again, they smiled a little.

February 14th. It was Valentine’s Day. Perfect. They threw their legs over the side of the bed and jumped to their feet.

“What are you doing now?” Flowey asked, watching as Frisk crossed the room and started pulling random things from their desk. Frisk laughed as they settled onto the floor and spread their armful of stuff in front of them. They had gathered construction paper, glitter glue, stickers, sequins and ribbons. 

“I’m gonna make Valentine’s cards.” They said, smiling back over at their friend.

“Seriously?” Flowey said, “And who are these cards going to be for?”

Frisk opened their laptop and began pulling up different DIY posts on Pinterest.

“Everyone.”

* * *

 

You were headed to class, your text books in the crook of your arm, your phone in your hand as you received a text message from your roomie.

**Frisky Business:**

Hey buddy! You get to class yet?

 

You raised your brow, why would Frisk be wondering if you got to class? You began to type back when the door opened, smacked you in the face and as you fell backwards, you heard a yelp and felt something fall directly on top of you.

Your face throbbed and you groaned as you blinked your eyes open. Looking down, you recognized the skull that was now pressed into your boobs. 

Dr. Spaghetti groaned as he lifted his head, “ugh, what happ-” His eyes met yours and he immediately scrambled to get off of you.

“oh shit, i am so sorry, miss clayborne.” He said, his face turning an unusual shade of blue.

You slowly sat up, “Dr. Spaghetti?... are you ok?” 

He began gathering the papers he had been carrying, “y-yeah. i didn’t realize you were right outside the door, i should have looked.” He glanced back up to you, “oh, geez, you’re bleeding.”

Your hand went to your face and you could feel the warm liquid coming from your nose, pulling your hand from your face, you saw blood.

Dr. Spaghetti reached in his pocket and produced a white handkerchief. He held it out to you, “here ya go. don’t worry about giving it back to me.”

“Thank you.” You said, taking the handkerchief and bringing it to your face. You looked over to your books and realized that they were scattered all over the floor. You moved to grab them when you saw your phone and gasped a little. The screen was cracked.

“Shit, my phone.” You said, picking it up and looking it over.

Dr. Spaghetti noticed the problem and held out his hand, “may i?”

You handed him your phone and continued stacking your books. 

He flipped the phone over a few times, “the screen seems to be the only thing damaged, its an easy fix, and i’d be glad to replace it for you.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. I can just take it to a place-”

He held his hand up and gave you a small smile, “its no problem, i wouldn’t mind. after all, it is my fault that it’s cracked.”

You sighed, knowing that there was no use in arguing with him, “Ok… Thank you.”

“no need to thank me.” He said, standing back up and hesitated a moment before holding his hand out to help you up.

You secured your books back in your arm before taking his hand and pulling yourself to your feet. His hand quickly slipped from yours as you regained your balance. His face was still a little blue as he looked over your phone one more time.

“Are you sure you’re ok, Dr. Spaghetti?” You asked, “You don’t look well. Are you sick?”

His eyes shot up to yours and his cheekbones seemed to only flush deeper with color, “i’m fine, just didn’t mean to knock you over. i’ll uh… call frisk’s phone when your’s is all fixed up.”

“Ok, I appreciate it.” You said.

There was a moment of awkward silence before your professor cleared his throat and spoke again.

“welp, i’ll see ya in class.” 

With that, he disappeared back into his office and you were left standing there with a still-bleeding nose and a lot of confusion.

  
  


“the properties of matter are in thrall to what is happening at the subatomic level, which sometimes seems to resemble a series of chinese boxes; for every dong particle discovered, another is mooted. so we progress from what is observable and solid to what is elusive and quantum mechanical -”

You found it a little difficult to focus on the lecture when your face was still throbbing. You were pretty sure your nose was at least bruised from the impact of the door, and Dr. Spaghetti wasn’t the lightest person, so your abdomen was a little sore as well. Overall, the situation had been a bit awkward, but you’d certainly been through worse.

“- under these deep conditions. the very atoms arrange themselves in different ways, in the manner described previously concerning the structures of diamond. the effects are pervasive; everything is squeezed together in a common regime governed by the “equation of state.” if we want to know how the earth is made, it is -”

As he continued talking, you began flipping through the current chapter you were reading in the textbook. You noticed something was stuck between two of the pages.

“- reproducing the deep earth in the laboratory - i should say in a very, very small part of the laboratory, because the amounts of material that can be used as subjects are tiny indeed - a few milligrams at most.”

You flipped the page and pulled out what looked like Valentine’s Day card. Simple red paper cut into the shape of a heart with an abundance of blue glitter and a message that had been typed in the middle of it:  **i think you really rock! -sans**

For a second, you were really confused. Why would your professor send you a valentine? 

“for less extreme conditions a piston cylinder apparatus is suitable. it copes with pressures up to 40 kilobars and temperatures to about 1500॰-2000॰ c, the kind of conditions appropriate to the upper part of the mantle and base of the lithosphere.”

The more you looked it over, the closer you came to the conclusion that Dr. Spaghetti wouldn’t send you this. One, he had better geology puns than that. Two, he didn’t seem like the kind of person to make something with construction paper and glitter glue.

“the experimenter can control both the pressure and temperature (p-t) of the sample under investigation. then, when it has been tortured sufficiently, the sample is quenched very rapidly. this serves to “freeze” the mineralogy in the form it took up under high p-t.”

The timer on Dr. Spaghetti’s desk went off, signaling the end of class. You shoved the valentine back into the book and gathered your things. As you started to make your way out of the classroom, you heard your name being called. Looking back, you saw the professor waving you over. 

You walked to his desk as he watched the last of the class walk out before grabbing something from his desk drawer. 

“you get one of these too?” he asked, showing you a similar-looking red heart with more blue glitter glue surrounding a message in the center that read:  **You rock my sox! -Natasha**

“Yeah…” You said.

A smirk crossed his face, “you know who’s work this is, right?”

“Frisk?”

“bingo.”

The two of you began laughing at the absurdity of the situation. The fact that Frisk would think of making Valentines from one of you to the other, and then discreetly slipping them to you both was just ridiculous. The awkwardness between the two of you from the last week or so faded as you continued talking and laughing over Frisk’s antics.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Frisk also made various valentines for the rest of their extended family. Tori got one from “Sans” that read, “you have goat to be my valentine!” Asgore got one from “Flowey” that read, “I would miss you if you died.” And Undyne and Alphys got one from each other that read, identically, “Baby, baby, baby you’re so fine - Mew Mew Kissy Cutie you’ll be mine”


	12. Everyone Has Their Faults

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I love writing Nat, and especially Nat and Flowey <3
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

“Hey, Nat!” Frisk called to you from their room, “Sans just sent me a text, said you can pick up your phone at his office around noon!”

“Sounds good!” You said, reclining back on the couch.

Frisk walked into the living room, bag slung over their shoulder and Flowey in their arms. 

“You gonna shove your boobs in his face again?” They asked as they set Flowey down on the coffee table.

You rolled your eyes, “Oh my gosh, Frisk, no.”

The two of them laughed. Frisk had bombarded you with questions after seeing your face a few days ago and you had explained to them exactly what had happened, from the door slamming into your nose, to Sans rushing to see what had happened and falling face first into your chest. You mentioned his face being oddly blue, which Frisk had burst into laughter about, telling you that it was him blushing. That information made you realize just how embarrassing that situation must have been for him, though it was only an accident… Of course, that didn’t stop Frisk’s merciless teasing over it.

“Welp, I’m going to class. You and Flowey place nice.” They said, shooting a look at Flowey before smiling back at you, “Maybe you can even take him with you when you go to see Dr. Noodle!”

Flowey scoffed, “Like I’d want to ride around in that piece-of-shit truck with her!”

You gasped dramatically, “Flowey! My truck is not a piece of shit! Do you know how many places it has taken me to? All the tough times it’s gotten me through?”

“Also why the fuck would I want to see the old bag of bones?”

You frowned at the fact that he had just completely ignored you defending the honor of your vehicle.

“Come on, Flowey, can’t you at least try to be friends with Sans?” Frisk asked.

“If you knew how much bullshit he caused me to go through in the underground you wouldn’t be asking that!” Flowey snarled.

Frisk just sighed and turned their attention back to you, “If he gets to be too much, just put him back in my room… though he really does need the sunlight, photosynthesis and all that.”

Flowey grumbled, “I’ll show  _ you _ photosynthesis… photosynthesize my ass.”

“Flowey, you don’t have an ass,” Frisk pointed out, rolling their eyes a little.

You gave them a soft smile, “I’ll see what I can do about getting him out.”

Your roomie’s face lit up, “You’re the best, Nat! I’ll see you later, have fun seeing Dr. Lasagna!”

You chuckled as Frisk left the house. Turning back to Flowey, you gave him a genuine grin. He scowled at you, but you didn’t take it to heart. That was just how Flowey was, and you’d come to realize that. Dr. Spaghetti had been right about him being all bark and no bite, he definitely liked to talk shit, but sometimes you’d hear him talking to Frisk in a softer tone. There seemed to be a deep connection between the two of them, but it wasn’t any of your business, so you never asked.

“What are you looking at me like that for?” He asked.

You stretched your arms overhead and sat up, “Wanna go with me to the University?”

He didn’t say anything at first, but his eyes flitted over your figure, “You’re wearing  _ that  _ out in public?”

You let out a little snort as you looked down at your ragged tank top and sweatpants, “Nah, I’ll go change. Wouldn’t want to embarrass you.”

“More like wouldn’t want to embarrass yourself.” He said.

You couldn’t help but laugh as you stood and made your way to your room. Though Flowey hadn’t confirmed that he wanted to go with you, he certainly didn’t deny it either.

* * *

 

Flowey had made snarky comments the whole ride over, but every now and then you’d caught him leaning over to get more sunlight. It seemed to be something he really enjoyed, and you made a mental note to try to get him out more often. The two of you even shared an eye-roll of bonding when some yahoo with a BURR 20XX sticker on the back of their car cut you off.

You carried him in your arm as you made your way to Dr. Spaghetti’s office, being careful to not stand in the way of the door if it were to swing open again. You swore you heard Flowey mutter something as you gave a few swift knocks to the wood. You heard your professor’s voice telling you to come in.

The office was fairly neat. There were large bookshelves lining one wall, each of them nearly full. Not quite in the center of the room, there was a desk where Dr. Spaghetti was going over some papers. He looked up over his glasses and laid down the pen in his hand.

“oh, miss clayborne… and the weed? how did you willingly get him to go with you?” He asked.

“It wasn’t willingly! She kidnapped me!” Flowey yelled.

You shook your head, “Don’t let him lie to you. He really just wanted to see you.”

You and Dr. Spaghetti both laughed as Flowey began cursing you, claiming that you were the liar.

“anyway, miss clayborne, if you’ll have a seat please.” He said, motioning toward one of the empty chairs in front of the desk.

You placed Flowey in one chair and sat down in the other, watching as Dr. Spaghetti reached into a drawer and pulled out your cellphone.

“i replaced the screen, so it should be working fine, but just in case it isn’t i put my number in there for you to call.” He said, handing you your phone.

“If the screen stops working, how is she going to call you?!” Flowey asked. 

Dr. Spaghetti just blinked at the flower monster before looking back at you, “if anything  _ else _ breaks, feel free to send me a message.”

You pocketed your phone, “Thanks, Dr. Spaghetti, I really appreciate it. You didn’t have to do that.”

“it’s the least i could do after… well… you know.”

There was a small moment of awkward silence before the professor cleared his throat and spoke again.

“so, miss clayborne, i want to know if you've given the tutoring i offered any thought.” He said.

Your face fell, and he seemed to notice. 

“it isn't that i don't think you're smart enough to do this on your own, i assure you.” He said, “i just, well, i noticed a change in your work after that first week, and i think i understand why.”

“What do you mean?” You asked.

He leaned forward, lacing his fingers together on the desk, “i think you would benefit more from a one-on-one approach than the classroom setting. you seem to focus better when i am talking directly to you, rather than when i am addressing a large group of students.”

He wasn't wrong. You'd noticed a change in his teaching methods after the first week as well. Discussing the course material with him that first week had been refreshing compared to other classes you'd taken, but after that everything just seemed a little boring.

He took his glasses off and set them on the desk. “as your professor, i only want what is best for you here. you are a remarkably intelligent student and i would hate to see you make poor grades because the classroom isn't adequate for your learning needs.”

You were surprised. You’d expected to be told that you needed some sort of special class, that you were just slow and required more work than the other students, but not that the only issue was your method of learning. It made sense when you thought about it, though.

“so, i wanted to ask again if you might be interested in private tutoring, after class, twice a week.” 

You let your brain process the information before meeting his gaze and nodding, “Yeah. I think I can do that.”

Dr. Spaghetti smiled, “alright, sounds good.” He looked down at his wristwatch and stood from his seat, “we can work out the details later, i’ve got a meeting i can’t be too late for. come on, i’ll walk you out.”

You stood as well and grabbed Flowey, who had been uncharacteristically quiet during the whole ordeal, from the chair. Dr. Spaghetti held the office door open as you stepped out into the hallway, closing and locking it before turning to walk alongside you down the hall.

“so what do you drive?” He asked.

“Just an old truck, gray, you probably saw it in the driveway when you came to visit last.” You said.

He held the door open and you thanked him as you stepped outside, “now that you mention it, i think i did see it.”

“What about you?” You asked.

You looked in the direction he pointed and frowned when you saw the vehicle. It was the same Piaggio mp3 you saw on the first day of class, ‘Rockin’ license plate and all.

“A trike.” You said, raising a brow, “Why would you drive a trike?”

He chuckled, “for that exact reaction.”

You probably shouldn’t have looked disgusted, but you couldn’t help it. You hated those things. This only seemed to amuse Dr. Spaghetti though, as he laughed a little louder on his way to the trike.

“i’ll see ya in class, miss clayborne. take care!” He said, throwing up his hand in a lazy wave.

You waved back and started down the sidewalk to where you’d parked your truck. You didn’t get far in your walk before Flowey cleared his throat.

“Out of all the things to dislike about that trashbag, and it’s the trike?”

You groaned quietly, “I just hate those things. They’re so stupid.”

Flowey snickered, “And here I thought that you liked everything about him.”

You glared at him, “If you don’t shut it, I’m not taking you to the park like I promised.”

He started to grumble, but shut his mouth and refused to meet your gaze. You smirked and kept walking to the truck, hoping that the park wouldn’t be too crowded on such a lovely day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Strudeloo REALLY hates trikes, FYI.]


	13. Smart? I'd say you're igneous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the chapter updates have been a bit sporadic. I've been pretty busy.  
> Thank you for being patient and understanding! <3  
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

It had been a week since you’d started your tutoring sessions with Dr. Spaghetti. It didn’t take long for him to seem more relaxed than he did when teaching the entire class and you began to understand what he meant about it being a preferred method of learning. It was easier to process information during these less formal sessions. Rather than it feeling like a class, it felt as though you were talking about a mutual interest with a friend.

You were learning more this way, though some of his teaching methods were a little questionable. The first day, he handed you a worksheet that was essentially just figuring out geophysics-related puns. When you questioned him about it, he only smiled and asked that you trust him.

So you did, and you ended up with a perfect score on your next test. You weren’t even nervous during it, you knew your shit completely. You wondered if he was tutoring other students as well, but you didn’t want to ask, as it was really none of your business. What mattered was that you were on top of your game again.

“the first phase of igneous development in the hawaiian chain is, of course, the shield volcano. so, volcanic vents open up wherever a tongue of magma can find an outlet to the surface. many parts of the big island have experienced these sudden expressions of pele’s anger and the early phases are often the fiercest. around the main volcanoes, the eruptive centers are localized along rift zones. these zones are the traces on the ground of planes of weakness marked by faults, along which lava preferentially penetrates…” 

You listened closely as Dr. Spaghetti continued with the day’s lesson, only interjecting to discuss a certain topic in depth. Near the 40-minute mark of the session, you’d had a few pages of notes and a better understanding of the subject at hand.

“so, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, miss clayborne, i have a proposition for you.” Dr. Spaghetti said, taking a seat in front of your table.

You looked up from your work, “Yes sir?” 

“as i’m sure you’ve heard from some of your peers, over spring break, dr. pence and i are sponsoring a group of post-grads to do some field work with the usgs folks out of hawaii volcanoes national park. we’re gonna be gone for a few days on either side of spring break, uh,” he pauses and scratches the back of his head. “i’d like to offer you the opportunity to come with us.” 

“I… I don’t really understand. I’m not in that program.“ You said.

Dr. Spaghetti leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and gesturing with one of his hands as he spoke, “okay, but frankly, if we’re being perfectly honest, you know effectively the entire curriculum for the program. i think i’d like to turn these tutoring sessions into a formal independent study for you. it would be good for you to get some experience working with a few of my post-grad students and you seem to pick up information faster working with a smaller group.”

“Are you sure? I mean, this is huge.” Your heart fluttered with excitement, “This is… I’m flattered. Thank you. Thank you so much, this sounds amazing. Thank you!”

Your professor smiled, “hey, you’ve earned it. just keep up what you’re doing in class and let me know if it starts to become too much work. now, the trip - oh, are you interested in that? i mean, if you already have plans to head home to your family or whatever over spring break -” He paused as he noticed your expression change. 

The fluttering stopped at the mention of family, “Oh, no, I wasn’t planning on going anywhere. I definitely want to go! It sounds like a lot of fun! I know it’ll be work but it sounds like a blast!”

“okay, great! then, uh, i’ll be getting you more information about it next time. i’ve got to run here though, since i have an appointment in about fifteen. but hey, i’m glad that you’re on board. i think this’ll be a great experience for you!” He said, standing from his chair.

You got your things together and stood as well, “Thank you again, Dr. Spaghetti. I, um… hope your appointment goes well.”

“heh, same here. thanks.” He waved his hand as he headed toward the door, “see ya.”

After making sure you had all of your belongings, you stepped out into the hallway and were surprised to see it completely empty. You had only been a few feet behind Dr. Spaghetti when he left the room, he hadn’t had time to make it out of the building. Yet, looking up and down the hall, he was nowhere in sight.

You shrugged and continued on your way toward the parking lot. You’d just have to ask Frisk about it later.

 

* * *

 

It was Saturday night, you were laying around in your pajamas, not really planning on doing anything but chilling out and munching on some snacks.

“NATASHA!”

You sighed, “Yeah?”

Frisk came running into the living room, phone in one hand and Flowey in the opposite arm.

“Mom called, she wants us to come over to watch a movie tonight!” They said.

You groaned and looked over at them, “I was just feeling like relaxing here tonight.”

“Aw, come on, we’re gonna watch an educational movie!” 

You raised a brow, “What movie?”

Frisk smiled, “The Core!”

Your eyes widened, “Are you serious? That movie is not educational AT ALL! It’s completely wrong about everything!”

“I don’t know… Sans seems pretty excited about it.” 

You jumped from the couch, “No. Fuck no! I am not letting you corrupt his mind with that literal garbage. I’m coming with you, let me go make myself decent!”

“YEAH, GOOD LUCK THERE!” Flowey loudly grumped from his place in Frisk’s arms while they just giggled as you made your way to your room to change. 

 

The three of you arrived at Toriel’s house and it was just as elegant as you imagined it. The house wasn’t what you’d expected of a queen, being smaller than a mansion after all, but it was still very eloquent-looking.

Frisk was about to barge in, but you insisted on ringing the doorbell. Toriel answered, smiling at the sight of all of you. Frisk stepped into their mother’s arms and hugged her, at first you saw a look of disgust on Flowey’s face as he was shoved into the mix, but you noticed that look turn much softer after a couple of seconds.

“Natasha, I’m so glad you could make it!” Tori said, turning to wrap you in a hug as well. You returned it, melting into the soft feel of her fur and the lovely scent of fresh baked cookies that always seemed to linger around her.

“Me too. Your home looks lovely, by the way.” You said.

She just laughed and ushered you all inside. The house felt so inviting, from the soft lighting, to the decorations and pictures on the walls.

“I was making a few snacks for later, so I’m going to go finish those up. Go ahead and make yourselves comfortable in the living room.” Tori said. You knew she was more so talking to you than her own child, who had already skipped off toward what appeared to be the sitting room.

“Hey, Dr. Penne!” You heard Frisk say. Stepping into the room, you could see Dr. Spaghetti sitting on a large sofa, his face unamused as he looked at Frisk and Flowey.

“Oh, hey Dr. Spaghetti.” You said.

His expression brightened a little as he turned from Frisk, “heya, miss clayborne.”

Frisk threw their head back and groaned, “Agh! I can’t stand these formalities! I’m going to get a snack, when I come back, you both better be talking like normal people.”

The two of you chuckled as they left the room. Sans patted the seat next to him and you sat down, the velvety soft cushions pulling you into their comfort.

“So… you know anything about this movie we’re watching?” You asked. 

“i just read the summary. it sounds interesting.” He said.

You shook your head, “Sans, it’s terrible. It’s so scientifically inaccurate.”

Sans raised his brows, “really? that bad, huh?”

You nodded, “It really is.”

His perpetual grin widened as he relaxed further back into the couch, “welp, this should be fun.”

Frisk came back into the room, snacking on a chocolate bar. They smiled at the sight of you and Sans on the couch.

“So, you nerds ready to get this party started?”


	14. The Core

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY EVERYONE! Sorry for the delay in updates! I was on vacation, and then I moved to another state and my husband and I have just been settling in. I'm really excited to be back and writing! Hopefully I can start getting chapters out regularly again!  
> Enjoy!  
> -Paigey

“Before we start the movie, I made a little something that I think everyone will enjoy!” Toriel said, walking into the living room behind Frisk. She approached the coffee table and set down a strange looking dish. You heard Sans let out a breath, that might have ended in a near silent whimper, next to you.

“You guys, “ Frisk started excitedly, “This is one of my favorites! It’s absolutely delicious!”

You watched as Frisk took a knife and started to cut into the ‘food’, which looked like some sort of dark red gelatin mold with sour cream and leaves on top, surrounded by more leaves, deviled eggs, and pretzel twists. They took a large slice and put it on a plate, then grabbed another and cut off a slightly smaller slice before handing it to you.

You thanked them and looked down at the plate. Now that it had been cut, it was easy to see bits of olives, celery, peppers, and… shrimp? All those things you liked, but putting them together in jell-o just didn’t seem very appetizing. 

Feeling Frisk’s eyes upon you, you grabbed your fork and cut off a small piece, hesitating a moment before putting it into your mouth. The texture was strange and the taste was even more so with a flavor of lemon and some sort of barbecue sauce. Powering through it, you swallowed the bite and gave your best smile to Frisk, who seemed pleased and began to eat their portion happily.

“Oh, let me go grab us some drinks and we can start the movie!” Tori said, turning and walking back into the kitchen.

You looked down at your plate again and frowned, unsure if you could actually finish it. Suddenly, the food on your plate was surrounded by a blue glow and you watched in awe as it moved in the air to settle down on Frisk’s plate. Frisk looked over at Sans with their mouth full and cheeks puffed out with an obscene amount of jell-o encased shrimp and gave a thumbs up. You turned to see Sans returning the gesture along with a wink. You raised a brow at him and he let out a quiet laugh.

“don’t worry about it.” He whispered, “frisk will eat more than enough for all of us.”

Tori came back into the room with cans of soda for everyone and sat down in a recliner next to the couch. Frisk started up the movie and you gave a nearly inaudible sigh of disgust as the carnival scene began to unfold. As the story progressed, you glanced over at Sans while the space shuttle repositioned itself rather inaccurately quickly and saw that he had the widest grin you had ever seen on him. He caught your eye and leaned towards you.

“oh this’ll be a good one.” He whispered before settling back in.

These cheesy, sci-fi disaster films were somewhat of a game to you. Picking apart the bad scientific bullshit, laughing at the sub-par acting, and shaking your head at the overly dramatic sequences had become an enjoyable thing for you over the years. And you were elated to see your professor viewed them the same way.

The two of you were in stitches by the time fourteen billion CGI pigeons destroyed London.

As the movie continued, you could hear Frisk betting with Flowey on which character was going to be killed off first. At one scene where one of the main characters was talking about ‘signing your doctorates blindfolded.’ you heard Sans mutter “that’s… not how that works.” under his breath.

Whispering turned to outright talking as the movie only got more and more ridiculous.

During an ongoing narration by one of the most annoying characters, Zimsky, Frisk groaned, “I think we can all agree that this guy is terrriiiible… and is probably going to die.”

Sans let out a small laugh, “ya know, he actually kinda reminds me of someone.”

You were about to ask who, when Frisk yelled something about an old Nokia phone on screen being like the phone Tori gave them when they fell underground and you wondered yet again at the weird mix of technology that monsters left the underground with. 

Sans leaned back over to you at the scene where Dr. Keyes (“Hey look Sans, it’s you!” Frisk cackled at the beginning “Except, you know, taller and cute!”) lit a peach on fire to simulate the earth burning up and asked if wasting fruit with that level of melodrama was actually necessary. Tori glared over at the two of you multiple times to shut you both up when you kept pointing out the horrible science.

You recognized one of your grudgingly favorite lines quickly approaching and tapped Sans on the arm gently, trying not to draw Tori’s attention and with a wide smile of your own whispered along with the insufferable Zimsky “And what if the core was made of cheese?” you barely made it to the end of the line before his eyes widened and the both of you began wheezing with laughter. Toriel harrumphed in frustration at your commotion and left the room to grab refills for herself and Frisk as you leaned forward to try and catch your breath. Sans was still chuckling, one arm braced against your shoulder as he wiped a non-existent tear with his other hand.

“i take it you’ve seen this a time or two?” He asked when he finally could breathe again.

“Hey, you’re not the only one out there that likes to laugh at terrible disaster movies!” You both dissolved into giggles again as he pushed off of your shoulder and settled back into the couch. 

Tori came back in right as Rome was being leveled by a lightning storm built by a high school VFX team and this time didn’t seem to have much of a problem with the raucous laughter filling the living room so long as at least part of it was coming from her children, who exchanged high fives and the enthusiastic vine smack that passed as such for Flowey.

The mood began to sober again until the completed vessel to the core was proudly displayed on the screen. You saw Frisk discretely trying to get your attention from their spot on the floor with a subtle hand gesture and they mouthed at you something and made a few more odd hand gestures. You just shrugged helplessly and they turned back with a huff. A moment later as the team is toasting Virgil your phone vibrated in your pocket. You wiggle it out with an apologetic look at Sans - habits from class die hard! - and read the text from Frisk. 

**Frisky Business:**

WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE A GIANT DICK?!

Your hand slapped audibly over your mouth as you try to stifle your wheezing. How had you never noticed that before? Frisk looked proudly back at your reaction while Sans looked on in confusion, gesturing for your phone. Toriel glanced at the exchange, rolled her eyes and then pointedly tried ignoring the lot of you. 

While you tried to get yourself back under control, Sans nudged you and looked pointedly at your phone, his brows arching in question. You glanced at Frisk who was emphatically shaking their head ‘no!’ at showing Sans the message, with a huge grin on their face, so you just shrugged at him and pocketed your phone again. He immediately pulled out his own phone and texted Frisk who only grinned wider, visibly turned their phone off and set it on the coffee table before turning back to the movie and bumping their shoulder against Flowey. 

Sans’ eyes narrowed at Frisk before refocusing on the movie and you wondered what on earth Frisk was up to. 

His frustration persisted while Zimsky orated his extended, pretentious monologue at his place in what you were now mentally calling The Dick Oven. He muttered something about Zimsky being a “pompous, research-stealing asshole” before one of the others eventually told him to shut up, in which Sans laughed and the mood brightened again.

Aside from the multiple comments about how unrealistic the Marianas Trench earthquake was handled and the inexplicable whirlpool of horror that had Flowey and Frisk cackling in glee; the next several minutes of the movie passed in relative peace. It wasn’t until Mission Control received a signal from The SS Dick Oven through multiple kilometers of semi-molten rock that Sans threw his hands up and groaned in frustration. 

You grinned at his displeasure, quietly saying, “I told you so!” and mindful of Tori’s warning look in your direction.

Several minutes later, as The Dick Oven crashed through a cave, you suddenly found yourself on the edge of your seat. Mildly embarrassed, you looked over to see that Sans was in the same position. His eyes met yours and you shared a smirk. The movie was shitty, sure, but it was funny to see the both of you getting into it regardless. Looking back at the screen, you could hear the three monsters in the room let out soft gasps at the sight of the cave full of crystals, twinkling like stars as the camera panned around in the darkness.

“It looks just like the Wishing Room.” Tori said, in awe. Even Sans was speechless, though you noticed Frisk and Flowey share a long look before the moment was interrupted globs of magma dripping into the cavern.

“I called it!!” Frisk shouted as one of the men had his suit punctured by a flying crystal, causing it to depressurize and him to fall back into the lava.

Sans winced as the body sunk into the lava, “that’s… not right. people don’t sink into liquid rock, they’re not dense enough, he should just be floating on top… burning.”

You noticed the slightly uncomfortable look on his face, wondering what might be going through his mind. Not wanting to dig into his personal business, you turned your attention back to the movie.

More ridiculous one-liners and unnecessary deaths later, (including Zimsky’s, at which you heard Sans mutter “dying in the core… yeah, that figures.”) the only two people left in The Dick Oven were the leading male and female characters.

“Why did they feel the need to force a romance between these two?” Frisk spoke up, “It’s like the writers thought ‘oh, we have a man and woman here, they should probably hook up!’ it’s just… awkward.”

You and Sans let out a noise of agreement as you watched the two run around, trying to figure out a way to get the shuttle running again so they could leave the core. The frustrated words “that’s not how that works.” came out of Sans’ mouth for the hundredth time as they began to solder wires into the hull and that just happened to power it up again. 

As The SS Dick Oven began it’s speedy journey out of the core you noticed Sans ticking numbers off on his fingers. When he saw you were glancing at him he leaned over and said quietly to you, “any idea how they managed to steer that hulking mess, without lasers, at 12 miles per minute?” 

“Pretty impressive considering they’re still ‘dodging diamonds the size of Cape Cod’ too!” You laughed back at him before the two of you dissolved into a fit of barely suppressed giggles. Flowey glared back at the two of you and hissed at you both to hush for the twentieth time.

You figured he must be getting tired of the countless inaccuracies when he only rolled his eyes and let out an aggravated huff as the two leads ‘found a gap in between two plates near hawaii’ and emerged from bowels of the earth to the awaiting rescue and before you knew it, the movie was over. Flowey and Frisk were both grumbling from their place on the floor about the prominently displayed typo in the final scene. Tori got up to begin taking the demolished jell-o platter of horror back to the kitchen and you and Sans sat for a moment. Just enjoying the activity around the two of you as everyone started coming back to themselves.

“that was… something.” Sans said as the ending credits continued rolling.

“I liked it!” Frisk admitted, standing up and stretching their arms overhead.

Sans laughed, “of course you would.”

You checked the time on your phone and stood from the couch. “I guess I better be getting home. Thank you for inviting me over, Tori.” You said to her as she came back into the living room.

Tori smiled more warmly than she had any time since serving the awful monstrosity that she considered dinner and walked over and pull you into a hug, her annoyance at your frequent interruptions forgotten. “You’re welcome over here any time, Natasha.”

After saying your goodbyes, You, Frisk, and Sans left the house, Flowey having decided to stay with their mom for the night.

“so,” Sans spoke up, turning to face the two of you, “i know frisk got their fill of food earlier-”

“Hey, mom’s cooking is delicious!” Frisk blurted.

Sans blinked at them pointedly before looking over at you, “but i could still go for some grub. what about you?”

He knew good and well that you hadn’t eaten any of Tori’s cooking after that first bite, and you were pretty hungry after you thought about it.

“i don’t have anywhere i need to be, “ He continued, “and i know a great little restaurant that’s open all night. you two up for it?”

“Oh yeah! We should totally go to Grillby’s!” Frisk said, grabbing hold of your arm, “Nat, this place is awesome. There was one in the Underground and the food is delicious!”

You thought about it. There was really no reason to say no, besides the fact that you would be hanging out with your professor in public… but with Frisk being there, and with the movie having struck a light mood between the lot of you, it didn’t seem like a bad idea.

“Sure!” You said with a smile, “Sounds good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [THE DISH TORIEL MADE](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wUKoiS1Cf9U/T9_Yv5pR-_I/AAAAAAAAAvM/-j5CN6SbvUw/s1600/014.jpgl)  
>  we have a gelatinous tomato-based jell-o ring from the 1960’s full of celery, canned green olives, chopped raw onions and green peppers and lightly salted shrimp. The jell-o itself is flavored with lemon and worcester sauce. In the center of the red, obscene ring is a bowl of - you pick! Either fat free sour cream or miracle whip - garnished with carefully chosen dandelion leaves. It’s rimmed with a carefully laid symmetrical display of unseasoned deviled eggs and pretzel twists and yet more dandelion leaves.


	15. Stones or Bread

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!!!!  
> -Pauge

You had passed by the old dive a few times over the course of the last several months, but had never ventured inside. You figured that the pine exterior and clouded windows looked decent enough, but the abysmal Yelp reviews consistently indicated that the food was questionable at best. It wasn’t until Sans pushed open the door for you and Frisk to enter that you questioned if perhaps the general dislike for the establishment might be racially motivated. 

The first thing you noticed when the three of you stepped into Grillby’s was the crowd of monsters (and a few humans) who all turned to greet Sans and Frisk. They waved and returned the gestures, calling out a few of them by name.

The second thing you noticed was a bright green fire monster approaching you as you sat down in a small booth with Frisk.

“Hey Feurig. How’s it going?” Frisk asked the monster.

She smiled, the flames atop her head crackling, “It’s going pretty well. It’s good to see you!” Her eyes fell upon you and she chuckled out a popping laugh, “And I see you brought in a new friend!”

“Yeah! This is my roomie, Natasha.” Frisk said, “Nat, this is Feurig.”

“Nice to meet you.” You said politely with a smile.

She nodded, “It’s a pleasure.”

You watched as she turned to Sans, who hadn’t sat down. They shared a look that lasted a moment too long before he broke contact and looked over at you and Frisk.

“go ahead and order, i’ll be back in a few.” He said shortly.

With that, he walked off, disappearing through a door towards the back of the room. Feurig handed you a menu and you glanced over it, noticing that there were two sides: One with ‘regular’ food, and one with ‘monster’ food, which seemed to have a much higher price point. You went ahead and ordered a regular burger while Frisk got some fries. 

“Where’d he go?” You asked as soon as Feurig was out of earshot.

“Sans? Oh, he probably went upstairs to visit Grillby, Feurig’s dad.” Frisk told you. “They have an apartment above the restaurant so they aren’t too far from one another.”

A somber look crossed Frisk’s face and they grew quiet, looking down at their hands on the table.

“Grillby used to run the restaurant, but… he isn’t doing so hot these days.”

They winced as soon as the words left their mouth, “Sorry, that was a horrible, accidental pun… Though, Grillby would probably laugh at it.”

You didn’t ask anymore questions as you got the feeling that you had hit on a touchy subject with your friend. Instead, you took the time to gaze around the busy room some more. The restaurant had a very cozy atmosphere, much like sitting by a fireplace on a cold winter’s evening. 

There were several different kinds of monsters around, but one large table in the middle of the room caught your eye. There were three dogs sitting at it, playing cards. One seemed to be smoking a dog biscuit, and two had suits of armor on, but what really drew your attention were their plates. The three had empty ones sitting in front of them, but there were two at one end of the table with food that had obviously been untouched. Next to the chairs in those spots were two axes. You assumed they belonged to two other monsters who had probably just not come back to eat yet.

It wasn’t long before Feurig came back with your food, two bottles of ketchup and a burger that she placed on the other side of the table for Sans. You looked down at your plate, your mouth already beginning to water. You hadn’t realized how hungry you were until a good meal was set in front of you.

Noticing your hesitation, Frisk nudged you with a grin, “Go ahead and eat, no need to wait on Sans. Trust me, you don’t want it to get cold.”

You didn’t need to be told twice as you took the burger in your hands and brought it to your mouth. From the looks of it, and Frisk telling you how good it was, you expected fireworks to shoot from your mouth after your first bite despite what any potentially racist Yelp reviews had to say.

But that didn’t happen as you chewed. If you were honest with yourself, it was a bit bland. You immediately felt the need to take a sip of your drink to counteract the dryness of the meat.

“What’s up?” Frisk asked, shoving a handful of fries in their mouth, “Is it burnt or something?”

You swallowed and looked down at the once-promising burger, “It’s… ok.”

“Hey, it’s ok if you don’t like it.” They said, patting your shoulder, “Just uh… I wouldn’t mention that to Sans… or any of the other monsters for that matter.”

You raised a brow in question and they sighed, rubbing their hands on their jeans before turning to you.

“This was one of few places to get food underground.” They said in a hushed voice, “And for the monsters, it’s just familiar. It’s comfortable and they really need that. But it’s also gotten worse since Grillby got sick.”

You frowned, “What’s wrong with him?”

Frisk bit their lip, “He-”

“how’s the food?” Sans’ voice caused you to jump slightly as he appeared back at the table.

“Great as always!” Frisk said, not missing a beat.

Sans slid into the seat across from you and Frisk. “is the burger alright?”

You froze for a moment, not wanting to outright lie, but not wanting to upset Sans either.

“It’s… good.” You said, putting on the most genuine smile you could muster. “Thank you for bringing us here.”

His sockets narrowed for only a moment before blinking back to normal. “it’s no problem. glad you like it.”

“Sans, “ Frisk spoke, “How is he?”

Your professor frowned, “not good.”

“Is he getting worse?” Frisk asked.

He didn’t need to speak, the look on his face said it all. You suddenly felt like you weren’t supposed to be here listening to this conversation, it was none of your business, but you felt bad for Sans and Frisk. They obviously cared a great deal for this friend, and he was apparently not getting any better.

“sorry, mi- i mean, natasha.” Sans said, “i didn’t mean for this to ruin the night.”

Your brows furrowed, “What? It’s not ruined. Honestly, tonight has been a lot of fun. I think I needed this. I uh,” you paused, choosing your next words carefully, “I tend to get really focused sometimes and it’s really nice to have someone to pull me out of it from time to time.” You nudged Frisk’s leg under the table and they grinned back at you.

“oh, yeah, i absolutely understand you there. for a long time i was the same way.” Sans glanced at Frisk and you wondered, not for the first time, what sort of history bound the two of them together. 

“You’re still that way.” Frisk said with a smirk.

The lights of Sans’ eyes rolled in their sockets, “not as bad though.”

Frisk laughed, “I don’t know about that, you still sometimes just disappear for days at a time.”

“hey, i get busy with work.” Sans defended himself.

“Yeah right.” Frisk lightly elbowed you, “Nat, while I was in the Underground, this guy was the laziest slob I’d ever met.”

“Really?” You said. You remembered Frisk saying something before about Sans being more laid back when they were underground, but you still had a bit of a hard time believing it.

“Yup! He would sleep at his work stations, leave his socks laying all around the house. It drove Papyrus nuts!”

You looked over at Sans to find him glaring at Frisk, a light blue tinge dusting his cheekbones.

“rude.” he mumbled.

“You just gonna sit there and take that?” You asked him.

Sans shrugged, “sure, i’ve put up with it this long.”

“See what I mean!” Frisk nearly shouted, “Lazy!”

You laughed until you felt your stomach turn a bit. Unsure if it was the bite of food you had at Tori’s house, or if it was the burger, you asked Frisk where the restroom was and promptly made your way there.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Sans watched Natasha walk off to the bathroom, wondering if the gelatin dish Tori made had caused her to get sick. 

“So,” Frisk spoke, gaining his attention, “You two seem to be getting along well. Maybe we should invite her to movie night more often.”

“sounds good to me, it’s nice seeing someone else appreciate the bad science in those kinds of movies.” He said,  "but what was tori's problem? she seemed even more pissy than usual about interruptions"

Frisk shrugged their shoulders, “Could be anything, you know how mom can be.”

“yeah, she might have had a bad day.” Sans said.

Suddenly there was a loud thump from upstairs and Sans went to stand when he saw Feurig make her way to the back. He slumped a little further into his seat. One of his best friend’s was sick, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.

This had been going on for a while, and it just didn’t seem to be getting any better, and Sans didn’t know if there was a way to fix it at all.

A soft nudge from Frisk’s foot came from under the table, he looked up to see them giving him a smile, though their eyes still held onto sadness.

“Hey, maybe mom just needs some extra attention, eyyy?” They winked and pushed their foot harder into his leg.

Sans couldn’t help but chuckle slightly, “oh god, frisk. no.”

Frisk was still laughing as Natasha made her way back from the bathroom. Sans watched as she slowed her pace and looked over at the table in the middle of the room. The dogs had gone home for the night, but she was taking notice of something left behind. The untouched plates of food, the axes.

Sans and Frisk looked at each other knowingly before standing and walking over to Natasha.

“hey kiddo, “ Sans spoke, lightly touching her shoulder, “it’s been a fun night, but it’s getting late. maybe we should all head home. whatta ya say?”

Frisk looped their arm with her’s and smiled, “Yeah, bud. I’m getting sleepy! Must be Sans’ laziness rubbing off on me!”

Natasha laughed, “Yeah, I’m getting tired too.”

Sans watched as Frisk pulled her along toward the door, and taking one last look at the memorial, he followed them out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Paige: feel free to yell at me on tumblr. I encourage it, actually.


	16. Rocking The Boat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanna say thank you to all of you who have been reading this fic, even those of you who haven't commented! You're all important and lovely and I'm so happy you're here!  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!!  
> -Paige

Sans stared down the golden tinged hallway at the small child walking towards him. The air was hot, stale and still as the child meekly approached him. He wasn’t entirely sure at this point exactly how many times this had happened. Those dozens of times they had faced off at each other down this hallway. Those dozens of times that he had brutally murdered the small child before him. Those dozens of times that the child would die and then the world around them would melt away and Sans would be down in his lab, having just sunk the thick needle into his forearm and pressing the plunger down. Those dozens of times he would crash to the floor as pain overtook him before forcing himself up and taking a shortcut to that hated, bloodied, awful hallway. Those dozens of times that Sans avenged the decimated residents of the underground. Those dozens of times that he won. They all bled together until finally, he lost… and then he woke up back in Snowdin. 

It hadn’t always been like this. For the first few cycles that Sans remembered, Frisk would venture through the underground generally peacefully and it wasn’t until they had passed through the barrier and the other souls had vanished that they found the trail of destruction and chaos through the Ruins. The world would reset and he woke up back in Snowdin. It didn’t take long for their LOVE to spread beyond the Ruins. Each time the world reset, Frisk would come through and kill just one more monster. At first it was only Jerry, a small mistake it seemed, but then they moved on to bigger targets. The guard dogs, Sans’ own brother, and even Undyne, captain of the Royal Guard.

But this time, they hadn’t killed anyone. Sans had watched closely over their entire journey as they treated everyone they met with sarcasm and snide wit, but at least it wasn’t a knife.

Sans studied them as they approached meekly, their eyes wary, as if afraid that he might strike them down. This was the point where Sans would usually begin his judgement, that endlessly repeated string of words that had lost all coherent meaning over the resets, but he didn’t feel that it was really needed.

“why?”

Frisk stopped in their tracks and looked at him in question.

“i know about the other timelines.” Sans admitted with a shrug and an insolent grin that bordered on predatory, “i know that you killed more and more, and i know you killed me. i just want to know why you’ve changed your pattern. why not go through and slaughter us all like you did before?”

They swallowed a lump in their throat, “I had to.”

Sans shifted his weight to one foot, glaring at them.

“what makes this time different from all the others? why should i believe anything you have to say?”

Frisk’s fists clenched at their sides, their eyes focused and filled with determination.

“They killed him!” They said, their voice filled with anguish, “You’ve lost your brother so many times! You’ve got to at least understand how that feels, I had to stop them!”

Sans couldn’t argue there, the pain of losing Papyrus was fresh in his mind even still. 

“so what’s your plan here?” He asked, “what are you even trying to accomplish?”

“I’m gonna set this right.” They told him, “I’m finally going to do the right thing.”

Sans didn’t trust them, though he felt in his very soul that they were speaking truthfully. He nodded and went to turn away until they called out once again.

“Before I go see Asgore, I need to tell you something.” They said.

Sans faced them again, raising a brow, “what is it?” He tiredly sighed.

They looked down at their hands, twiddling their thumbs as if they were uncertain now.

“Sans…” They met his gaze again, “I’m sorry, but I-”

 

* * *

 

“SANS!” Papyrus’ voice caused Sans to jolt up in bed, ripping him from his sleep.

The taller skeleton rushed into the room, “SANS, WHY ARE YOU STILL ASLEEP! DON’T YOU REMEMBER WHAT DAY IT IS?”

“unhh.” Sans groaned, holding his head in his hand and flinching from the influx of light as Papyrus began quickly opening the blinds.

“IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY!” Papyrus shouted, grabbing his brother’s arm and pulling him from the bed.

“it’s just another day, bro.” Sans said, steadying himself on his feet.

“THAT’S WHERE YOU’RE WRONG, SANS!” Papyrus said, placing one hand on his hip bone while gesturing with the other, “IT IS NOT EVERY DAY THAT THE BEST OLDER BROTHER IN THE WORLD HAS A BIRTHDAY, SO METTATON AND I ARE HERE TO MAKE SURE YOU CELEBRATE IT PROPERLY!”

“oh no, did you have to bring him?” Sans said jokingly with a soft smile for his brother. He had always been supportive of Papyrus’ life choices and had learned over the years that even though he had been more than skeptical of Mettaton in the beginning, the big bag of bolts really did have Papyrus’ best interests at heart. A lot had changed since everyone reached the surface. 

Sans shuffled down to the kitchen, herded by Papyrus who was enthusiastically regaling him with plans for the day. As he stepped into the room, his eyes laid on Mettaton. The robot was leaning against the counter, typing something out on his phone. At the sound of them entering the room, he looked up and smiled.

“Good morning, Sans.” Mettaton said joyfully, “I hope we didn’t wake you too early. You know how excited Pap gets about birthdays and holidays.”

Sans let out a chuckle as he made his way to the coffee pot, deciding that he would definitely need a few cups to keep up with them for the day.

“i know what ya mean.” he said, “it’s fine. papyrus is right, it’s a good day to get together with some friends and celebrate.”

“NYEH! OF COURSE I’M RIGHT!” Papyrus said, patting his brother’s shoulder.

Mettaton laughed quietly and gave Papyrus a smooch on the side of his skull, “Papy was talking nonstop on the way here about all the ideas he had for your birthday.”

“was he now?” Sans smirked, “let me guess, he listed way too many things for us to do in a single day.”

“I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW WE COULD DO ALL OF THE THINGS I SUGGESTED IF WE PLAN ACCORDINGLY!” Papyrus told him.

“Darling, why don’t we just have a lovely get together here?” Mettaton said, “Doesn’t Tori always bring you a pie, Sans? Oh, and I’m sure Frisk will show up!”

At the mention of Frisk, Sans recalled having some sort of dream, something about being back underground… sadly that was really the only thing he could remember about it.

“SANS,” Papyrus started, “YOUR PHONE IS BLINKING AN AWFUL LOT, MAYBE YOU SHOULD CHECK IT.”

Sans looked over at where he had laid his phone the night before, on the kitchen counter to charge. He picked it up and saw several missed calls from Frisk. 

He let out a small sigh, “it’s frisk. probably calling about my birthday. i’ll call them back after i’ve had some coffee.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Come on, Sans, pick up your damn phone.” Frisk muttered as Sans’ voicemail played through the speaker once again. They hit the end call symbol and tossed the phone onto the bed before falling back next to it and sighing in frustration.

The memory was perfectly clear this time. Frisk could recall that exact moment in time where they vowed openly that they were going to make things better. But this memory was cut short, the dream had ended just before they had admitted what was different, why they decided to… for lack of a better phrase, change up the rules.

“I don’t know why you care so much about what that bag of bones thinks.” Flowey said from his place on the nightstand, obviously annoyed from having his sleep interrupted.

Frisk turned their head to look at him, “He’s gone 15 years without knowing, I don’t want to screw everything up now… he’s my best friend.”

“I thought I was your best friend.”

Frisk rolled their eyes and sat up, reaching out to poke at one of Flowey’s petals, “You’re more than that, and you know it. Don’t even try that line on me.”

Flowey mumbled under his breath, the grumpy look ever present on his face. Frisk chuckled and stood up.

“Come on, I need some coffee.” They said, scooping Flowey into their arm and grabbing their phone. They left the room and did their best to be quiet as to not wake Natasha while they made a beeline for the kitchen.

They set Flowey down on the counter and started to prepare a pot of coffee, checking their phone constantly throughout the process. 

“I’m worried.” They said, leaning back against the counter while the coffee began to brew, “What if he remembered.”

“What are the chances that after 15 years he suddenly remembers this one memory?” Flowey said.

“The dreams have been getting more vivid over the years.” Frisk reminded him, “It’s possible.”

“I don’t think it’s likely.”

Frisk grabbed a mug while dialing Sans’ number… once again it rang and went to voicemail. They put it back down and started pouring their coffee.

“Now I’m just worried that something might have happened, something not even related to this.”

“Maybe he finally fell down.”

_ Should’ve just killed him when we had the chance and left it that way. _

Frisk groaned, slamming their mug down a little harder than they meant to, causing scalding hot coffee to slosh out and hit their hand. They bit back a yelp and rushed to the sink to run it under cold water.

“Don’t you both fucking start.” They said.

“I can’t say I disagree with them.” Flowey admitted.

_ We wouldn’t be in this situation at all if you had just listened to me. _

“None of us would even be up here if I’d listened to you!” They argued.

They turned to face Flowey, “And you know exactly what would have happened if I’d listened to them! Is that what you’d want?!”

Flowey averted his gaze, refusing to answer his friend. Frisk sighed and wiped their wet hand on a towel before picking their mug back up.

“What if he did remember, and now he doesn’t want to talk to me.” Frisk said quietly, staring down into their coffee.

“Should’ve told him when we first got up here.” Flowey told them.

Frisk shook their head, “He’d hate me, just like he would if I told him now.”

They looked at their phone again, about to call Sans one more time when they heard a shuffling in the house. They shared a look with Flowey and in just a few seconds, Natasha stepped into the kitchen. Her hair was still in a satin cap and she was dressed in a simple t-shirt and pajama pants. 

“Is everything ok in here?” She asked, rubbing the sleep from one of her eyes, “I thought I heard shouting.”

Flowey scoffed, “Great! Now we gotta deal with nosey pants mcgee over here!”

Frisk shot Flowey a glare and Nat cleared her throat.

“Am I interrupting something?”

Frisk shook their head, “No, Nat, everythings fine.”

“Are you sure? Because you sounded upset and I thought something may have happened.” She said.

Frisk sighed, “It’s just… Sans isn’t answering his phone and-”

“Shut up!” Flowey screeched.

Nat looked between the two of them, brow furrowed with concern, before glancing at the time on the stove.

“It’s 5 AM. Why would you need to call him this early?” She asked.

“Well, um,” Frisk looked at the phone in their hand, “It’s his birthday and I usually try to bug him as early as possible about it.”

“Real smooth.” Flowey hissed.

Frisk reached out and pinched one of Flowey’s leaves, “I’m just worrying over nothing. It’s ok, really.”

Natasha shrugged and yawned, “Alright, well I’m gonna go try to get in a couple more hours of sleep. If you need me, you know where I’ll be.”

“Ok, sleep well Nat. We’ll try to be more quiet.” Frisk said, giving a small wave as Nat walked back to her room

They let out a sigh when they heard her bedroom door close. Flowey huffed in aggravation, rubbing the pinched leaf with another one.

“So I’m guess you are going over to his house later, since it’s his birthday and all.” He said.

“Yeah,  I just hope he doesn’t make me leave as soon as I get there.” They said.

_ You should bring Natasha along, she'll make a good meatshield if that lazy moron did find out about your dirty little secret. _

“Fuck that.” Frisk spoke in a hushed voice, “I actually like her.”

They thought on it for a moment though. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to take her along as a bit of a buffer between them and Sans if things did go south. Surely he wouldn’t want to start anything with a student there to witness it!

“Actually,” They said, “I might just invite her along after all.”

Flowey laughed, “Sweet! I’ll get the house all to myself and I’ll finally have some goddamn peace and quiet!”

Frisk shook their head and refilled their mug before picking Flowey up and taking him back to their room.

“Have fun dodging bones.” He said, “I’m gonna sit here and watch Netflix!”   
  



	17. Leave No Stone Unturned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY ANNIVERSARY UNDERTALE!  
> even though when this chapter goes up, the day will be almost over lol.  
> Also this chapter could've been split in half, the whole thing is 4500 words. Like, holy fuck.  
> But It's been a while since I updated, so here ya go!  
> I hope you enjoy it!  
> -Paige

“So… His birthday is on Pi Day.” You said as you drove, using the directions Frisk gave you in order to get to Dr. Spaghetti’s house.

“Yup.” Frisk said from the passenger seat, “March 14th.” They had been fiddling with their phone constantly since this morning.

“...And you said your mom makes him a pie every year.” You confirmed skeptically while glancing at your friend.

“Mmm hmm.”

You smirked, “Your friends and family really like their jokes, don’t they.”

“Oh man, you don’t even know!” Frisk laughed.

Nestled in the trees on the outskirts of town was Sans’ house. Frisk had told you that he moved out here to avoid the light pollution of the city. Apparently he loved studying what was in the sky above just as much as he did the ground below.

You rumbled into the driveway and parked near some other cars in the yard. Frisk was bouncing their legs out of either nervousness or excitement, you weren’t sure. Earlier, you had heard them arguing with Flowey about something and though you weren’t convinced by the excuse they gave you, you didn’t want to push the issue.

“You sure we didn’t need to bring a gift or anything?” You asked as you got out of the truck, slamming the sticky door behind you.

“Nah, that’s not really how they view it. It’s more a day to be with the ones you love. I mean, I’m sure he wouldn’t say no to something, but I guess birthdays are just different for monsters.” Frisk said, opening and closing the door a few times before it finally caught.

The two of you walked up the long driveway and you smiled to yourself at how cozy the house  seemed. The trees framed a snug covered front porch and peeking through the upper branches you could see that a huge part of the roof had been replaced with a skylight.

The front door opened as you approached the house. You recognized Sans and Feurig immediately, but there was someone else with them.

You couldn't help but notice that the red fire elemental being led across the porch by Feurig was so much dimmer than she was. He looked like a brilliant dying star. You glanced at Sans' expression from where he hovered at the monster's other side, fretting about his steps and you saw the tightness around his eyes and felt Frisk grab your hand. This was a moment you were intruding on. Frisk gave you a tight squeeze and a reassuring smile before hurrying over to the small group.

“Grillby!” They shouted excitedly, “I haven’t seen you in ages! You’re looking good hot stuff!” Sans’ brow furrowed slightly when he saw Frisk, but he relaxed again when he saw how careful Frisk was being around their friend, despite their exuberance.

You hung back from the group and waited under the porch awning while Sans, Feurig and Frisk carefully escorted Grillby back to their car, the rest of the conversation too quiet for you to hear. As the two fire elementals drove away, Frisk and Sans stood watching, unconsciously mirroring each other’s positions. It looked like they were worried. Nearly in time with the other, they turned and started walking back towards the house, their conversation - or perhaps argument -  getting louder as they approached.

“-know, i meant to but paps burst in and i got distracted.” Sans grumbled with an exasperated huff.

 

“I don’t know,” Frisk replied, equally annoyed. “It seems to me like you could have at least _texted_ me or something! I was worried that something had happened!”

 

Sans gave them a long look before saying, “oh yeah? like what?”

 

“Man, I don’t know! You’re, what, 250 now? Not exactly a spring chicken!” Both of them burst out laughing - the tension between them broken - as they stepped onto the porch and Sans finally turned to greet you.

 

“hey, miss cla-” and is interrupted when Frisk shoves on his arm with a warning look. “natasha. it’s good to see you!”

 

“It’s good to be here! You have an amazing home!” You internally cringed at your chipper response, still feeling somewhat like an outsider in this situation.

Sans chuckled, pushing his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants, “heh, thanks. i’ve lived here for quite some time now. it’s nice and quiet out this way.”

Frisk nudged your arm, “He just wanted a place where he could perform dangerous science experiments without having to worry about nosey neighbors.”

“or nosey kids who need to mind their own business.” He said, playfully glaring at Frisk.

Frisk shrugged, “You shouldn’t have given me a key to the place.”

“you took the key to my workshop in snowdin!”

“After you gave me the key to your room!”

You couldn’t help but laugh and step in, “Ok, you two, settle down.”

Frisk threw their arm around Sans and smiled, “Eh, I guess I’ll give you a break since it’s your birthday and all.”

Sans removed Frisk’s arm from his shoulders and opened the front door, “well, come on in. a few people are already here.”

“PAPYRUS!!!” Frisk yelled out as they ran into the house. Sans shook his head and looked at you.

“how do you live with them?”

“Me? How have you dealt with them for so many years?” You raised a brow.

“touche.” He said with a smirk, motioning toward the inside of the house.

You thanked him and stepped in. The interior of the house was very simple and quaint. Walking into the living room ahead, you noticed Sans’ younger brother, Papyrus. He had Frisk wrapped in a bear hug, their feet dangling just above the floor.

“I MISSED YOU TOO, FRISK, IT’S BEEN TOO LONG!” He said.

“It’s been like, one week Papyrus.” Frisk choked out.

“NYEH! THAT IS STILL TOO MUCH TIME TO BE APART!”

As he set Frisk back down, his eyes laid on you and he gasped in excitement.

“NATASHA! IT’S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU!”

You braced yourself for impact as the tall skeleton rushed up and threw his arms around you. Though you were a little bigger than Frisk, Papyrus certainly had no problem lifting you a few inches off the ground.

“It’s nice seeing you again too!” You said, laughing breathlessly as he set you back down.

“I HAVEN’T SEEN YOU IN SO LONG! SINCE IT SEEMS LIKE WE KEEP MEETING AROUND BIRTHDAYS, WE SHOULD HOLD MORE BIRTHDAY PARTIES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR! PERHAPS WE CAN EACH HAVE THREE BIRTHDAYS EACH YEAR AND THEN BETWEEN ALL OF US WE CAN SEE EVERYONE ON A WEEKLY BASIS!”

Papyrus’ excited rambling was refreshing. He had a way of speaking with such enthusiasm that had you clinging onto every word, all with a huge smile on your face.

“Sounds like a good idea to me!” You said with a laugh.

It was then that you noticed the figure behind him. You recognized the tall robot with the bright pink boots and slinky black hair.

“OH, NATASHA, LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO MY SEXY RECTANGLE BOYFRIEND, METTATON! THOUGH YOU MIGHT RECOGNIZE HIM IN HIS CURRENT FORM, WHICH IS ALSO SEXY!”

You bit back a laugh as Frisk snickered, their eyes watching the scene with amusement as Papyrus continued, pulling his robot boyfriend to stand beside him.

“WE LOVE EACH OTHER VERY MUCH, ALMOST AS MUCH AS I’M SURE YOU LOVE ME!”

Mettaton smiled and held out a hand that you politely shook, it was cool and… well, felt like smooth steel.

“Darling, Natasha is it?” You nodded and his smile grew, “It is very nice to finally meet you. Papy has mentioned you a few times and you are just as lovely as he described!”

“I, um, uh…” Your face heated up and you stumbled over your words, unsure of how to respond.

“NATASHA,” Papyrus stepped back into view, looking slightly concerned, “I NOTICE YOU DO NOT SPEAK ALL THAT MUCH, MUCH LIKE FRISK WHEN WE FIRST MET… ALSO YOUR FACE IS LOOKING A LITTLE DISCOLORED, ARE YOU FEELING ALRIGHT?”

You began to stutter again when a hand lightly touched your arm, looking down you saw Sans.

“hey, we’ll have plenty of time for chit chat during the party. why don’t we go ahead and move into the kitchen for some drinks.” He said, giving you an understanding smile.

There was a murmur of agreement in the room as you were led to the kitchen. You were so relieved by the distraction you could have hugged Sans for it.

 

“Thanks.” You whispered as Sans pulled some drinks from his fridge. Looking around his kitchen, you saw that many of the appliances looked out of date. You wondered if he liked the older technology, or if he was just too lazy to get new ones.

“no problem.” He said, “my brother can be a little forward at times, especially when he is excited.”

“He’s very sweet.” You said honestly, “And Mettaton seems nice as well. I’ve seen a few of his movies.”

“please tell me you saw the ones from recent years and not the ones that were brought up from the Underground. want anything to drink?”

“Just water is fine.” You replied, “Yeah, I’ve seen the last two that came out in theaters. They were pretty good!”

Sans handed you a glass of ice water, “he’s definitely gotten better at his acting over the years. you should tell him you liked them, he loves talking to fans of his work.”

You smiled, “I’ll be sure to do that.”

Your attention was pulled away as Papyrus and Mettaton entered the kitchen, the two of them seemed to be caught up in a debate over the merits of machine knit versus hand knit cat sweaters. Frisk trailed behind them, a playful smile on their face as they moved around the couple to walk over to you.

“Not one for the spotlight much, are you?” They asked, raising a brow.

You shook your head, “Not really, no.”

“c’mon frisk, give her a break.” Sans said, holding out a cup of coffee to them.

Frisk stuck their tongue out at him and took the mug, taking a sip and letting out a pleasant hum, “Mmm, mocha, my favorite!”

Sans rolled his eyes and looked over to you, “i always gotta make ‘em one when they come over, or else they try to make it themselves… and it never ends well.”

 

“Well I can’t help it that your coffee maker is old and stupid!” They joked, taking another gulp of their coffee.

There was a knock on the front door and, of course, Papyrus was the first one to run out of the kitchen… actually, the only one.

 

“SANS! YOUR HUMAN WORK-FRIEND IS HERE!” Papyrus bellowed from the entry hall after only a short minute.

 

“oh!” Sans said, his expression lifting, “i was wondering if he’d show up!” He leaned back across the counter towards you and conspiratorially stage-whispered, “we started exchanging gifts a few years ago,” A younger guy wandered into the kitchen, closely followed by Papyrus as Sans finished saying, “and i haven’t been able to get rid of him since!”

 

Papyrus shook his head and stepped out of the kitchen with Mettaton to most likely continue their earlier discussion of hand-knit versus machine-knit cat sweaters. The younger red-head snorted in laughter while Sans waggled his brows at you and crossed over to his friend.

 

“Even after all these years, you’re still talking shit.” The two of them embraced, still stifling their laughter. “You didn’t come see me this week! Though, I’ve got to say,” His eyes slid over to you, “if it’s because you _finally_ got yourself a girlfriend, I can understan-”

 

You nearly spit the drink you had just sipped all over yourself.

 

“woah! no! no, josh! this is natasha clayborne. she’s one of frisk’s friends and, oddly enough, one of my students. god, josh, no.” Sans quickly interrupted, his expression panicked. “no, frisk just brought her along, it’s not like that!”

 

“Okay, okay, calm down! I’m sorry!” The lanky red-head walked over to where you were leaning against the counter, trying to recompose yourself. “Anyway, it’s nice to meet you Miss Clayborne! I’m Josh McDanel. I believe I’ve heard Sans mention you in conversation before. Didn’t you used to work with the National Park Service?”

 

You reached out to shake his hand, deciding to focus on the professionalism of his question rather than on the awkwardness of the previous conversation, “Yes sir. I’m actually thinking of getting back into it. I have word from a friend that there’s an opening over at Yellowstone that I’ve been looking into for when I’m finished with the program.”

“Awesome! Yellowstone is a nice place. I’d kill to work in a place like that. Instead I’m stuck out here with this asshole.” Josh said, jabbing Sans in his ribs playfully.

Sans shook his head and elbowed him right back. You were laughing at them cutting up and didn’t notice someone entering the kitchen.

“Happy birthday!”

“Oh yeah, pie’s here!” Frisk said, “Now it’s a real party!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The party wasn’t supposed to be this big, but Sans wasn’t complaining, he loved seeing his friends come out just to wish him a happy birthday. Tori had brought pie like she did every year, Alphys came by with a gift from her and Undyne, though she couldn’t stay to eat, and Asgore ended up visiting as well… though Sans had a feeling that the old king wasn’t just there for the festivities.

He had to admit, to himself at least, that the gathering was a little nerve-wracking. One of his colleagues knowing that he had a student at his house worried him, though he knew Josh wouldn’t say anything to anyone, it still bothered him as thoughts in the back of his mind. This year Josh had gotten him a first edition mineralogy text from the 1860’s knowing he had a thing for books and including the, ever snide, remark - “it’s almost as old as you are!” He ended up staying just long enough to eat a generous slice of Tori’s pie before saying he needed to run off to the DMV. There was also Tori, who seemed to look over at Natasha and himself an awful lot throughout the party, as if she were studying the two of them. He tried not to think too much of it, but figured that she might have something she’d want to talk with him about later.

“So, Frisk said something about you being 250 earlier.” Natasha walked back into the kitchen, having offered to help clean up the plates and cups after everyone had eaten, “is that true?... I don’t really know how monsters age…”

Sans had to admire her boldness in asking, though he wasn’t the type to take offense to age related questions, she was only curious, “well, actually, i’m 286.”

She looked a little surprised at first, but then intrigued.

“that’s if my old man’s paperwork was correct anyway, which it probably wasn’t.” Sans shrugged and leaned back against the counter, “monsters have a lot longer lifespan than humans… usually.”

Natasha dumped a bag of plastic plates into the garbage and turned to him, “That’s neat. And were you really born on pi day?”

Sans laughed, “i have no clue, but it’s unlikely. when we all made it to the surface, most of us just picked a day as our birthday for our government papers, same with our last names, since it wasn’t really a thing that most monsters kept up with.”

“So that’s how you got spaghetti.” Natasha said with a smirk.

He nodded, “it was more of pap’s idea though. we got up here and couldn’t decide what would be best for a last name. i told papyrus to just pick something he really liked, and of course he said that since everyone loves his spaghetti, if he was named spaghetti too, everyone would love him. i think though at that point he hadn’t tried it yet. he’s really gotten a lot better. i just decided to go along with it.”

She let out a soft laugh, “That’s great. I know that people give you a lot of grief over that name, especially at the university.”

“yeah, but i’ve always loved jokes, and it just seems like a really good setup for one.” He pushed himself from the counter and started walking through the kitchen, “hey, speaking of class, there are a few books i have in my collection that i thought you’d might like to take a look at.”

Natasha’s brows rose in interest, “Oh yeah? I’d love to see them!”

Sans grabbed the book from Josh that was sitting on the counter and motioned for her to follow and began his ascent on the stairs toward the loft. He stifled a laugh at her awe-filled gasp when they reached the room and she caught sight of his numerous bookshelves.

“I knew you liked to read, but… woah.” She spoke.

Sans glanced over all the books, “i’ve collected a lot over the years. most of them science related, fiction and non-fiction alike.”

He kept walking until he was in what was essentially his bedroom, brightly lit by the evening sunlight pouring in from the steeply pitched glass ceiling. His favorite books were kept fairly neatly on a lower set of bookshelves there.

Once again, Natasha seemed enthralled, “This is beautiful, Sans. I bet you can see a ton of stars from here at night!”

“heh, yeah. i do a lot of my studying up here.” He stepped over to one of the bookshelves, “here’s some of the books i was telling you about. it’s a bit heavy on exogeology right now, but-

“Oh my god, is this, is this an original printing?” She asked, reverently lifting down a somewhat battered copy of Alfred Wegener’s “The Origin of Continents and Oceans” and gently setting it on the desk.

“oh, straight for the goods with you, huh? nah, this is one of the later editions. it’s from 1924 - after he had worked on it a bit.” He rocked back on his heels, definitely not a little bit smug.

“Can... you even speak German?” She asked, her eyes glued to the pages as she slowly turned from illustration to illustration.

“speak? nah, but i can read it. french and italian too. alphys tried teaching me japanese for a few years but it just never seemed to click. i must just be too hard headed.” He said with a grin, scratching his head.

“I- was that a joke?” She asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at him as he started to laugh.

“here, let’s see.” He began pulling books and journals down from the shelves. He would grab one, pause for a moment and set it back on the shelf. Eventually he ended up with a stack of 15 or so books spanning from geochemistry to glacial geology. “ok,” he said proudly, looking his stack over. “how about some light reading!”

“Oh wow, this- I mean- are you sure? This is amazing.” Natasha eagerly looked through the titles, “Oh!” she pulled a well-read copy of Richard Fortey’s “The Hidden Landscape” out of the stack, “I’ve already read this one!”

He burst out laughing, “of course you have! i guess i didn’t go deep enough down the rabbit hole for you. oh well. think you’ll be able to get through these by the time we get back from hawaii? we can consider it part of the assigned reading for your independent study.”

“Wait, you’re letting me take these?” She asked incredulously.

“well sure, do you want an assignment to go with them miss clayborne?” She grinned excitedly at him.

“Well I do like a challenge, Dr. Spaghetti.” She said, echoing his playful tone as he laughed again.

“oh, you might regret that. fine. take this stack and i’ll figure out another set for you by the time you’re done with this one and we’ll talk about what i’ll be adding to your final on tuesday.”

The room echoed with laughter as she turned to take in the rest of the space while he tidied up his desk.

“Hey, what’s this?”

Sans turned to see her standing by his nightstand, staring at a pinkish crystal sitting on it, glowing faintly.

“oh, that’s a crystal i brought up from the underground.” He said, stepping over to her, “it’s from this area that’s called the wishing room, from a place named waterfall.”

 

“Oh! I remember, you wrote about it. You said that they were scheelites, right? And that the long term exposure to magic made them glow.” She said, picking it up and turning it over in her hands.

 

“heh, you got it. well, at least only one of us is a bonehead.” She chuckled gamely as he took the crystal from her and held it tightly for a moment, a dim blue glow surrounding the stone before he set it back on the nightstand. It was glowing significantly brighter than before. “now that it’s out of waterfall though, i’ve gotta charge it myself. it’s a bit of a bother, but tibia-nest it’s nice to have at night.” He glanced up to see Natasha staring intently between the stone and his hands.

 

“I think this is the first time I’ve ever actually seen anyone do magic. That’s amazing! I had no idea that you could imbue magic into an object! Oh! This is amazing!” She began to talk faster as she got more excited. “Have you ever tested what happens to other objects when they’re exposed to magic? Oh wow! Is it only rocks? Wait, is that why some places offer monster food?! Oh, oh! What about-”

 

“ok, ok, slow down! yes, you can add magic to just about anything but generally it’s non-reactive. no one really does it anymore ‘cause we don’t exactly need to. there are still some places where you can get monster food, but you have to _really_ look for it. it’s just a bit indulgent that i like my little nightlight here.”

“Sans.”

Sans and Nat both looked up from the crystal to see Toriel standing in the doorway.

“I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday again before heading back home for the night.” She said.

“of course.” Sans said, “natasha, go ahead and finish picking out any other books you’d like to borrow. i’ll be right back.”

Natasha nodded a little hesitantly and walked back over to the bookshelf. Sans approached Tori right outside the room.

“I think this is the first time I’ve seen you invite one of your students to anything.” Tori spoke in a hushed whisper.

“heh, wasn’t me. blame your kiddo.”

“I just figured after the last time you two got together…” Tori let her words travel off, her eyes telling him all he needed to know.

Sans threw his hands up in front of him, “no, no tori. she’s one of my students!” He hissed.

“Of course.” She said, shifting her weight, “I was just getting… clarification.”

Her narrowed eyes looked over Sans and at Natasha, who was still looking through the books.

 

“she’s just interested in some of the scientific books i have, tori. that’s it.” He said, hoping to get his point across.

Tori nodded and seemed to relax a little, “I see. Well, I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday again.”

“i appreciate it, tori. and the pie was great, as always.” He said, shoulders dropping as the tension in the room lessened.

She smiled, “I’ll see you sometime next week.”

Sans nodded with a grin of his own and a raised brow, “i’ll be looking forward to it.”

After one more glance into the bedroom, Tori turned to head back down the stairs. Sans walked back into the bedroom and nearly snorted when he saw the immense amount of books Natasha had gathered and stacked on his bed.

“I didn’t mean to grab so many!” She said, apology written on her face, “I just got carried away, there are so many great ones!”

“it’s fine.” He assured her, “i’ve read all of these so many times over. borrow as many as you’d like to keep as long as you’d like. it’s really not a big deal.”

Pulling all the books into her arms, she looked at him, her eyes shining with excitement. “Thank you! I’ll take good care of them, I promise!”

A soft knock caused Sans to turn back and see Asgore standing in the doorway of the room.

“Natasha, Frisk is downstairs looking for you. They said something about needing to get home to check on Flowey.”

Sans’ mood dropped almost immediately, but he still put on a smile as he looked back to Natasha.

“i know you’ll take care of them. thank you and frisk for coming by today. it’s been a great birthday.” He said.

“Of course. We really enjoyed being here!”

“i’ll see you in class.” Sans said, sounding just a little more professional than before, “take care.”

She nodded and started out the door, stopping only to tell Asgore bye. The king waited for her to be out of earshot before he approached Sans.

“i knew you didn’t come by just to wish me a happy birthday.” Sans said, trying to mask the annoyance in his voice.

Asgore frowned, “It’s not like I want any of this, Sans.”

Sans sighed and sat on his bed, “i know, i know.”

Asgore sat next to him, the bed sinking down an alarming amount as Sans shuffled away, and let an awkward silence fall over them before speaking.

“The fallen count has just surpassed 300, and Muffet fell down last week.” He said, “Alphys and I have been going back to the Underground pretty regularly to look for any remaining monsters and to see if there are any clues as to why the magic is fading… but the Riverperson is the only one we’ve seen since Gerson disappeared seven years ago. We’re beginning to give up hope.”

Sans frowned, that wasn’t good at all.

“Alphys has been working with the USGS people at the facility on the mountain to try and build a device to measure the current ambient magic and-” He scrunched up his face, like he was trying to remember something, “her preliminary results seem to be showing a strange anomaly from within the mountain.”

That grabbed Sans’ attention. For years, the magic from the underground had been dissipating, and it seemed to be doing so faster lately.

“Sans, since you are our resident -and only- expert on the morphology and magical geology of the underground, would you consider checking in with Alphys and her USGS crew and possibly going back down there and seeing what this anomaly might be?”

Sans didn’t need to think twice. Grillby was dying, Napstablook had vanished, Dogamy and Dogaressa were gone… and now Muffet.

“yes.” He said, “i’d be glad to.”


	18. Bone-ified Fools Gold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of these days I will get back on an actual schedule... maybe.  
> Thank you for reading!   
> -Paige

This was your last one-on-one lesson with Dr. Spaghetti, and it had been spent making sure you had everything together in an in-depth study packet so you would be prepared for the upcoming midterms.

“that should be everything you’ll need.” Dr. Spaghetti said, sitting back in a chair opposite from you, “how do you feel?”

You looked down at the large stack of papers and sighed quietly, “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous.”

Your professor chuckled, “well that’s to be expected, no matter how prepared you are, but i assure you that you are going to be just fine.”

A small smile crossed your lips, “Thanks Sa- I mean, Dr. Spaghetti.”

He hesitated for a second and shook his head slightly, “don’t mention it. that’s what these sessions are for, to help you out.” His gaze met yours with a seriousness you hadn’t expected, “miss clayborne, you are a very intelligent individual, and i know you’re going to pass this test. don’t let your nerves get to you too much, you’ve got this.”

It wasn’t every day that you received compliments like that, and you fought down the heat that was rising to your cheeks with all your strength.

“I appreciate that, professor. I’m certainly going to do my best.” You said, your voice coming out a little more unsure than you would have liked.

He pulled his phone from his pocket as the timer went off, signaling the end of the lesson. He looked at you and smiled.

“you have my number if you have any questions.”

You nodded and put your study packet into your bag before standing from your chair.

“Thank you again, this has been an honor, really.” You told him.

He seemed a little flustered, reaching up to scratch the back of his skull, “heh, i uh… thanks…?”

You couldn’t help but laugh a little out of the bit of awkwardness that passed between you. Standing from his seat, Sans took a look at his phone and pocketed it once again.

“i better get going. i’m supposed to be meeting up with papyrus. you take care of yourself, ok? and tell frisk not to be late for their midterms… i’d really hate to see a repeat of what happened last year.”

You made a mental note to ask Frisk what he meant by that, “Uh, will do. Have a nice day, Dr. Spaghetti.”

“you too, miss clayborne.” He said.

You walked out of his cluttered office feeling more confident about the future test. Those nerves were still there, but you felt that you knew the material well enough to pass, and the packet that Sans had helped you put together was certainly going to help you with studying for it.

It was a nice day. The sun was shining bright, a soft breeze carried the scent of numerous flowers blooming around campus, and you felt an overwhelming sense of happiness.

And then it happened. A small white dog, possibly a pomeranian, charged at you and grabbed the leg of your pants in its jaws. It was only a matter of time before this ended up happening this year. Dogs seemed to be attracted to your pants for whatever reason, it seemed to be a constant thing in your life since you were little and your first foster family had these little chihuahuas that loved torturing you.

“Hey! No, get off!” You said, shaking your leg in an attempt to get the dog to release, but at the same time not wanting to hurt it.

The dog growled playfully, refusing to let go. You groaned and stood still once it became apparent that the shaking was accomplishing nothing. Looking down at the dog, it’s whole body appeared to be shaking in excitement, it’s eyes no more than adorable black dots as it looked up at you.

“Dammit, why do you have to be cute.” You mumbled, considering reaching down to pet it.

“STOP THAT DOG!” You heard a familiar voice shout. Looking up, you saw Papyrus sprinting toward you, arms flailing around in the air.

The dog didn’t let go as Papyrus approached, shaking his head as he saw the spectacle before him.

“DID HE TRY TO STEAL SOMETHING OF YOUR’S TOO?” He asked, “THIS DOG HAS BEEN TAKING MY BONES ALL DAY AND BURYING THEM AROUND THE SCHOOL CAMPUS!”

You arched a brow, “He’s been taking… your bones?”

“YES!” Papyrus said, “I ALWAYS CARRY EXTRA BONES WITH ME, JUST IN CASE, AND THIS LITTLE GUY HAS BEEN SNEAKING UP AND TAKING THEM WHEN I WASN’T LOOKING!”

He bent down and carefully pried the dog off of your pants. It panted wildly as he held it close to him.

“I HAVE TO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TO STOP HIM! WHO KNOWS WHAT OTHER KINDS OF TROUBLE HE WOULD HAVE GOTTEN INTO IF YOU WEREN’T!” 

Producing a collar and leash from the fanny pack on his hip bones, Papyrus put it on the dog and placed him back on the ground.

“NOW, IF YOU WILL EXCUSE ME, I HAVE TO GO FIND WHERE THIS LITTLE ONE HID THOSE BONES.” He said, “I APOLOGIZE FOR ANY TROUBLE HE MIGHT HAVE CAUSED YOU, FRIEND.”

You smiled, “It’s fine Papyrus, I’m actually used to that sort of thing. Did you need help finding your uh… bones?”

“OH, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO THAT! I AM SURE I CAN FIND THEM BEFORE SUNDOWN!”

The thought of Papyrus searching all over the school grounds for hours had you frowning.

“Sans said something about meeting up with you soon, I wouldn’t want you to be late for that. Let me help you out.”

Papyrus smiled even wider, which you didn’t think was even possible. “YOU’RE RIGHT, FRIEND! SANS IS ALREADY LATE ENOUGH TO EVERY MEETING, I DON’T NEED TO BE FOLLOWING IN HIS FOOTSTEPS!”

You giggled at that. Sans had a bad habit of being late to class nearly every day. You guessed it was just a part of his character.

“Alright, Papyrus, where should we start looking?” You asked, situating your bag on your shoulder.

“HMM…” He tapped a finger to his chin and looked around, “I BELIEVE I CAUGHT HIM DIGGING OVER NEAR THAT BUILDING!”

You looked to where he was pointing and recognized the bookstore, “Let’s start there, then!”

As the two of you, well three as Papyrus had the small dog leashed, walked the sidewalk leading to the store, you realized that you really didn’t know a whole lot about the tall skeleton. You had really only spent time with him when he had come over to the house and at Sans’ birthday party, everything else you knew was just random things you’d heard Frisk say about him.

“So, Papyrus,” You started, “You run a cat sanctuary, right?”

“YES, I DO!” He replied, “WE TAKE IN ALL KINDS OF CATS! STRAYS, THOSE WHOSE OWNERS CAN’T KEEP THEM ANYMORE, OLDER KITTIES WHO ARE SLOWING DOWN, MANY FURRY FRIENDS!”

“That’s great! I bet they’re all really happy there.” 

“THEY SEEM TO BE! MOST OF THEM LOVE TO CUDDLE, THE REST WOULD JUST LIKE TO LAY AROUND AND BE LAZY ALL DAY!” He stopped walking and pointed to a section of bushes near the front of the building, “THERE! I CHASED HIM FROM THOSE BUSHES EARLIER, BUT IN MY RUSH TO CATCH HIM, I DIDN’T STOP TO LOOK FOR ANY OF THE BONES!”

Papyrus ran ahead of you to the bushes and knelt down behind them. When he stood, he held up a bone, probably about as big as a human adult femur. He brushed the dirt from it and walked back over to you.

“HERE’S ONE OF THEM!” He said joyfully. 

“Awesome! How many more did you say there were?” You asked.

“ONLY A FEW! BUT I DOUBT THE OTHERS WILL BE AS EASY TO FIND AS THIS ONE WAS!”

You started walking again, the small dog pulling ahead, it’s body still shaking with happiness.

“AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT THE CATS,” Papyrus spoke, “THEY ARE FAIRLY EASY TO TAKE CARE OF, AND THEY ARE ALL VERY SWEET AND CUDDLY.”

You smiled, “I’m really glad you like it, Papyrus. It seems like a good fit for you.”

“THANK YOU, NATASHA! I HAVE TO AGREE!” He stated proudly, “IT TOOK A WHILE ONCE WE GOT UP HERE FOR ME TO FIGURE OUT WHERE I FIT IN. TURNS OUT, TAKING CARE OF CATS JUST TAKES LESS ENERGY, WHICH IS WHAT I REALLY NEED!”

You furrowed your brows, “What do you mean?”

“OH, WELL IT JUST TAKES LESS MAGIC! BACK UNDERGROUND I USED TO TRAIN A LOT WITH UNDYNE. I WANTED TO BE PART OF THE ROYAL GUARD, BUT I ALSO HAD A LOT OF EXCESS ENERGY, AND I DON’T LIKE TO USE THE SHORTCUT TECHNIQUES TO EXPEND IT LIKE MY BROTHER DOES.”

You were quiet as you rounded the corner of another building. Shortcuts? He meant Sans’ ability to teleport.

“SO I USED TO TRAIN CONSTANTLY SO I WOULDN’T HAVE ANY SORT OF MAGIC OVERLOAD, BUT IT’S GOTTEN EASIER SINCE WE CAME TO THE SURFACE. TAKING CARE OF THE CATS SEEMS TO HELP ME USE UP ENOUGH OF MY MAGIC WITHOUT IT BEING TOO MUCH!” He said.

“That’s… good.” You told him, still a bit confused as to what he was going on about.

He nodded, “I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT SANS IS TAKING IT EASY AS WELL. I DON’T WANT HIM RUNNING HIMSELF RAGGED LIKE HE USE-”

“it’s rude to talk about someone who’s listening.”

You jumped at the deep voice and turned around to see your professor standing there, a lazy grin on his face.

“BROTHER, IT IS NOT NICE TO SNEAK UP ON PEOPLE” Papyrus scolded.

Sans shrugged, “sorry bro, i saw you two walking the dog and thought i’d catch up to you.”

“THIS LITTLE GUY THOUGHT IT’D BE FUN TO RUN OFF WITH SOME OF MY BONES. I WAS CHASING AFTER HIM AND NATASHA CAUGHT HIM FOR ME.” Papyrus told him.

“He was gnawing on my pants’ leg.” You explained.

Sans smirked, “that’s _ ruff  _ buddy.”

A laugh escaped you as you caught his pun. You covered your smiling mouth with your hand and glanced at Sans, who was looking pretty pleased with himself.

Papyrus shook his head, “WELL, NOW THAT YOU’RE HERE, YOU COULD AT LEAST HELP US FIND THE REST OF THE BONES.”

“sure, i guess i can  _ fetch  _ those for you.”

Another giggle caught in your throat and you happened to hear a small laugh coming from Papyrus as well. 

“ALRIGHT, ENOUGH BOONDOGGLING!” Papyrus said, “WE SHOULD FIND THOSE BONES BEFORE IT GETS DARK!”

You pulled your phone from your pocket and checked the time, “I really should get home and start studying… but with three of us, we should be able to find the bones fairly quickly.”

“I AGREE!”

Sans stepped over to your side and the three of you began walking again, the little dog bouncing down the path in front of you.

As you chit chatted about whatever topics came to mind, you began to wonder if you  _ would  _ actually find those bones before nightfall.


	19. I Think I Rocked It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy today's chapter!  
> -Paigey

“- at Isua takes up a narrow strip of barren outcrop about thirty kilometers long. It is a primeval sliver, underlying everything else. The belt was recognized more than thirty years ago, largely because it included the earliest banded iron formation, which gave a distinct signal to a gravity survey. The Itsaq Gneiss Complex, as a whole, had been heated to roughly 600°C but the team found small areas that seemed to been left mostly untouched. Even some of the pillow structures of the original submarine basalts have been preserved through the last 3.9 billion years(Black et al., 1971; Nutman et al., 1996). Like other greenstone belts, the Isua rocks also include metamorphosed sediments. Taken together, they prove that there was already enough water on the planet when the rocks were originally laid down to erode still earlier formations. However, the sea itself originated, or was gathered together during the Hadean. An ocean would not have survived the earliest days of Earth. Only when water could condense from volcanoes could pools and basins survive, the impact on Earth of many comets made of dirty ice might have contributed more water - quite how much is still debated.

In 1996, a study(Hayes, 1996; Holland, 1997) was carried out upon metamorphosed carbon specks within the crystals of mineral apatite preserved in the Akilia gneisses from western Greenland that have been compared with those at Isua. The negative values of the isotope of carbon (13C) obtained within the samples are typical of the carbon compounds produced by living organisms. However, older dates from zircon crystals are starting to fill in the Hadean. The oldest so far discovered is 4.4 billion years old, from the middle of a crystal recovered from the Narryer Gneiss Complex in Western Australia(Maas et al., 1991, 1998). The conclusion that this team reached indicated that the oxygen isotopes within the crystal was an indication that there was free water already present on the Earth.

There are several ongoing studies of interest on this topic, including Broom-Fendly et al., which are following up on the work of Oka and St Honoré (Vallée and Dubuc, 1970, Gold et al., 1986, Deines, 1970) and Jacupiranga(Melcher, 1966, Morbidelli et al., 1995, Santos and Clayton, 1995) to further investigate and refine the dating of the oxygen isotopes recovered from the Narryer Gneiss Complex with the goal of a more accurate estimated date of the samples.”

You sighed and stretched out your hands, popping several joints along the way as you read back over your explanation of the current estimated date of liquid water on Earth. It was probably the oddest topic that Dr. Spaghetti had included on the midterm exam, but it had been included in the review packet. You flipped over to the last page of the exam booklet and saw spread across the page - 

for 5 extra credit points, list your 10 fav rock puns. half credit if you use only ones i’ve used so far.

He had actually written it in comic sans. You suppressed your laugher with an unattractive snort and were instantly shushed by several of your peers around you. You glanced towards the front of the room and saw Dr. Spaghetti meet your gaze. His smile widened fractionally, the expression mirrored on your own face as you bent back to your exam.

Wracking your brain of the shittiest rock puns you could come up with, you had a difficult time holding back a fit of laughter. It was tricky, trying to recall the puns he had already used in class. You were taking this as a challenge, and you wanted full credit, so you spent a ridiculous amount of time in the puns section… probably more time than it took you to actually finish the exam itself.

You stood and walked to the front of the room with your papers. Dr. Spaghetti looked up at you as you set them on a stack of already completed midterms.

“wasn’t so bad, was it?” He asked in a whisper, not wanting to disturb the other students.

You smiled and shook your head.

“good. i’ll let you know your score as soon as i get it graded.” He said.

“Thanks.” You said.

He nodded and you left the room with a little more happiness in your stride than when you’d entered.

\----------

Walking into the house, you tossed your bag onto the sofa and flopped down beside it, letting out a sigh as you sank back into the cushions. All of your exams were completed and you were relieved. All that you wanted to do was sit back and relax.

“Hey, roomie!!” Frisk said excitedly, leaning over the back of the couch. Their ponytail draped over their shoulder and was just barely touching your nose as you looked up at them.

“Hey, Frisk.” You replied, leaning out of the way of their hair.

“How’d your midterms go?” They walked briskly around the couch and sat next to you.

“I think they went pretty well!” You said, “What about yours?... You DID go didn’t you?”

“Of course I did!” They said, hand flying over their heart as if you’d just offended them by thinking otherwise.

You rolled your eyes, “Uh huh. And how did it go?”

“It went very well!” They said.

“That’s good!”

A smirk crossed their lips, “You know what this calls for, don’t you?”

You arched a brow, “A nap?”

Frisk laughed and shook their head, “No! It’s time to celebrate!”

“But we don’t actually know if we passed.”

“WHO CARES!” Frisk jumped to their feet, “Let’s celebrate anyway!”

Before you could protest, Frisk had grabbed your arm and pulled you from the sofa… which was surprising for their small frame.

“We can make some drinks! I was looking up lots of recipes online and I went out and got all the ingredients we need!” They said.

You opened the fridge and your jaw dropped.

“HOW MUCH ALCOHOL DID YOU BUY?!”

Frisk laughed and pulled out their phone, “Enough. Come on, let me show you the drinks I picked out!”

 

It wasn’t long before you and Frisk had downed a few drinks and were definitely feeling the effects of the alcohol, even Flowey got more than a little tipsy after Frisk poured a drink into his planter, which would’ve confused you if you weren’t too far gone to care.

The three of you talked for hours about anything and everything. You learned more about Frisk’s time underground as they told you stories about them spending time with all the monsters. You were surprised to hear that most of them had fought Frisk, but Frisk’s determination to befriend and free them all had won them over.

“This loser even came back for me once the barrier broke!” Flowey told you.

Frisk reached over and brushed one of his petals, “I couldn’t leave my best friend behind!”

Flowey laughed a bit bitterly, “Yeah, ok, whatever you say pal.”

You caught that there might be more of a story there, but brushed it off as your phone vibrated on the coffee table. Grabbing it, you saw that you had a new message from your professor.

**Dr. Spaghetti [11:24 PM]: just thought i’d let you know that you passed your midterm.**

Excitement welled inside of you and you let out a tiny squeal, which caught the attention of your roommates.

“Good news?” Frisk asked.

You turned the screen of your phone toward them, “Look!”

Frisk and Flowey both peered at your phone.

“Oooo, looks like someone is special.” Frisk said, smirking.

“What do you mean?”

Frisk shared a playful look with Flowey before turning back to you, “Sans wouldn’t text his students their grades, especially not this late.”

Your brows furrowed in confusion, “He probably just didn’t want me worrying over it…”

“Yeah, ok, that’s the reason.” They said.

“What are you trying to say?” You asked.

“Oh nothing.” Frisk said.

“What a couple of nerds.” Flowey chimed.

“Adorable nerds.” Frisk added with a wink.

You started to realize what they were saying, “Wait, you wanted us to be friends!”

“You’re right! And I’m glad to see that everything is going well!” They said, sporting a cheesy grin.

“Oh nuh uh, I see what you’re doing here, and I’m not falling for it.” You said, “I’m just gonna text him back and thank him-”

Before you could type anything, Frisk snatched your phone from your hand and jumped up from the couch.

“HEY!” You yelled out, standing up too fast and stumbling over yourself, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

“Me? I’m just texting him back and tell him thanks for you!” They said, beginning to type on your phone.

Gathering yourself up, you ran over and grabbed Frisk’s arm. They pulled back and tried to run again, but you held onto them. Before you knew it, you were both rolling around on the floor, fighting over your phone.

“GIVE IT BACK!”

“JUST LET ME FINISH THIS MESSAGE!”

“NO!”

They tried to roll away from you again but you caught them. Pushing them back to the ground, you leaned your weight on them and grabbed your phone from their hands.

“Fine! I was finished anyway!”

You looked at the screen to see your last sent message.

**Thank you, I wanted to legfkdkhjktljdjrng GSssedf 1dg21fgth**

You dropped your face into your hand and started to giggle, it didn’t take long for Frisk to follow along and soon the two of you were laying back on the ground laughing until tears were streaming down your faces.

“I swear, I live with the dumbest people.” You heard Flowey mutter.

“Aw, come on Flowey, you love us!” Frisk said, sitting up and rubbing their eyes.

Your phone vibrated in your hand and you looked at the screen.

**Dr. Spaghetti [11:35 PM]: let me guess, frisk.**

You burst into laughter once again and handed your phone to Frisk, who joined in on another giggle fit as well.

Flowey groaned and shook his head, “You two are ridiculous!”

“Don’t be like that, buddy!” Frisk said, “I know! You just need another drink is all!”

Frisk pushed themselves to their feet and swayed a little before catching their balance and holding out their hand to you.

“Come on, Nat! Let’s get Flowey wasted!”

You let out a snort and brushed their hand away before standing on your own and following your roommate into the kitchen.


	20. I'll Never Take You For Granite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO excited about this chapter, y'all. I loved writing it and I really hope you all enjoy it!  
> -Paigey

You looked at the entrance of the amusement park as you passed through. You had been to this same one many years ago with one of the nicer families that had fostered you. You remembered having a lot of fun with them, but the place itself had changed quite a bit since then. Old rides and attractions had been shut down and replaced with new, bigger, and better ones.

“THIS IS GOING TO BE SO MUCH FUN! DON’T YOU AGREE, SANS?” Papyrus asked, running out in front of the group and gesturing excitedly.

Sans chuckled, “sure, bro.”

“We gotta ride all the rides!” Undyne shouted, grabbing her wife’s hand and pulling her over to Papyrus, “And the roller coasters twice!”

“We just need to make sure we don’t eat a lot before those.” Alphys said, “I don’t want to get sick again.”

Frisk locked an arm with yours and smiled, “Excited?”

“Yeah,” You said, “I just don’t know about riding ALL the rides.”

“It’ll be fun!” They said, pulling you along, “Plus we get to eat all the shitty, delicious park food!”

“Oh hell yeah.” 

“i can’t eat park food. that stuff goes right through me.” Sans said, winking at you and Frisk.

You giggled, but the rest of the group groaned.

“SANS, IT IS TOO EARLY FOR YOUR SILLY PUNS! WE MUST GET ON ALL THE RIDES BEFORE THE LINES GET TOO LONG!” Papyrus told his brother.

“Pfft. I doubt Dr. Tortiglioni here cares about getting on any rides that don’t have a place to nap.” Frisk said.

“hey that’s a new one, been looking up different pastas on google?” Sans asked, smirking.

“Frisk has a whole sheet of pasta types printed out.” You spoke, “You’d think they had a test on it or something.”

“that can be arranged.”

“You aren’t even my teacher, bonehead!” Frisk stuck their tongue out at him.

“Hey, how about that rollercoaster!” Undyne shouted, pointing to a really big coaster not too far from where you all were standing.

Of course, Papyrus and Frisk were all for it, Alphys agreed although she sounded just a little nervous, and Sans just shrugged lazily.

“I’m good as long as it has the bar that goes over your shoulders.” You told them, “I don’t feel comfortable on rides that only have the lap bar.”

Approaching the ride you saw that, thankfully, it did have the shoulder bar. Excited to ride a coaster again, you jumped in line with the others.

 

Nostalgia hit you hard and you felt like a child again. You recalled the sweet taste of cotton candy, the joyful screams of your foster siblings as you rode each coaster, the souvenirs your foster parents had bought you. It was one of the happiest times of your life, and had you wondering, once again, why things couldn’t have stayed that way.

“you alright there, natasha?”

Snapping out of your thoughts, you looked beside you to see Sans. He had a bit of a concerned look on his face.

“Oh, yeah! I’m fine, I was just… thinking of something.” You cringed internally at your horrid excuse.

Before you or Sans could say anything else, Frisk ran over to you.

“Hey! Let’s go on that ride next!” They said, pointing over at a log flume ride.

“Ohhh, no. Nonono.” You told them, “I don’t do log rides.”

Frisk put their hands on their hips and huffed, “Come on, Nat! Don’t be a big baby!”

You frowned, “You all go ahead, I’ll just wait over here.”

“Suit yourself!” They said, “You gonna join us, Sans?”

Sans shook his head, “i’m good. i’ll wait out here too.”

Frisk shrugged and ran back to catch up with the others. You sighed and moved to sit on a nearby bench. Sans joined you, leaving a few inches of space between you both.

“frisk can be a little… pushy at times.” Sans spoke up after a minute, “they don’t mean anything by it.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed that.” You told him, “I remember you and Papyrus both saying that they used to not be like that, back underground.”

Sans stretched out his legs and slouched back on the bench, “when they fell into the underground, they were a bit quieter. they didn’t say much, it was always either one or two words… or a bunch of horrendous pick up lines.”

You chuckled, “Ok, that bit still sounds like them.”

“heh, yeah. slowly, though, they seemed to come out of their shell.” He said, “especially when we got to the surface. i guess their personality emerged more as they aged.”

It made sense to you, but as you looked over at Sans, he seemed to be deep in thought over something. You figured it might be a good time to change the subject.

“So, have you been to this park before?” You asked.

“a couple of times. papyrus would drag me along.” He smiled again, like he was recalling a happy memory, “he loves the big rollercoasters. i’m more a fan of the slower rides, like that train that takes you around the entire park.”

“The kiddie ride?”

“yup.”

You couldn’t help but laugh, but it seemed like that was the reaction he was looking for.

“i think i might go find it and hitch a ride, actually.” He hopped up from the bench and turned to you, shoving his hands in the pockets of his shorts, “wanna tag along?”

“You know what? Yeah, let’s go.” You said, standing up.

The two of you walked for a bit, Sans pointing out different places and telling you tidbits of info about them as you went. Every now and then he’d make a silly joke that had you laughing out loud. You came to a short line at a cute little train station, a few parents stood their with their children, who seemed to be pretty excited for the train to come back around.

You smirked and elbowed Sans lightly, “You sure you’re tall enough to ride?”

A deep laugh rumbled through him, “i’m tall enough, but that doesn’t mean i don’t get mistaken for a child at times.”

“Really?”

He nodded, “first time we were here i actually played along, got a child’s discount out of it too.”

You raised your brows, “You did not!”

He nodded, “i did.”

The train came back around and the children all squealed with happiness as they were brought on board. The attendant helping everyone on smiled at you and Sans warmly as she pointed you toward an empty seat. You smiled back and nodded, making your way over and sitting closest to the window.

“Excited?” You asked as Sans sat next to you.

“oh definitely.” He said.

It wasn’t long before the train began making it’s way around the park. You watched as you passed by the different attractions, seeing families spending time with each other happily. It filled you with joy, but you couldn’t help the nagging voice in your head that was just a little jealous.

You looked over at Sans to start up another conversation when you noticed his eyes were closed. You shook your head, Frisk and Papyrus were right about him napping everywhere. Turning your attention back to the park, you found yourself focusing on the feeling from before. Memories from your childhood flooded your mind and you ended up falling into a funk pretty quickly.

Something poked your arm and you turned back to see Sans wide awake. 

“so, this may be none of my business but, you seem like you’ve been a little down today. what’s up?” He asked.

You chewed the inside of your cheek, “That obvious, huh?”

He sat up a little straighter, “you just look like you’re having a hard time with something.”

You glanced back out at the scenery going by, “It’s fine.”

“are you sure? i mean, i may not be frisk, but if you want to talk about anything, i’m here.”

You felt even worse then, here was someone who was obviously concerned and you just shut him out. How horrible could you be?

You sighed and turned back to him, “I’m sorry, it’s not that I don’t necessarily want to talk about it, it’s just…”

“it’s difficult to talk about.” He finished for you.

You nodded, “Yeah, I just.. Well, just being here reminds me of a time in my childhood.”

“was it a happy time?”

“It was, a lot happier than others anyway.” You told him, “Seeing the families out here reminds me of that time.”

He took a moment before saying anything, “and you miss that, yeah?”

“Mm hmm. I was a foster kid, and didn’t stay in one place for very long.” You gave a small smile, “The family that brought me here, they were the best…. I wonder where they are now.”

“you haven’t kept in touch with any of them?”

You shook your head, “No. It’s kinda complicated.”

“well, i may not know a whole lot about what you’re going through, but i can tell you one thing,” He said slowly, taking care to phrase his sentiment, “you have a lot of friends here, and frisk really cares about you, more than i’ve seen them care about anyone besides us monsters in a long time. you might not be able to do anything about your past, but i’m pretty sure you’ve got more of a family than you think here in the present.”

You thought over his words, not knowing what to say. The time spent at the park had reminded you so much of your old family that you hadn’t thought about making new memories with your friends now. And hearing what Sans was saying, you realized that Frisk and the others were the closest thing you had to family now.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” You said softly, “Thanks.”

“don’t mention it.” He told you.

The train soon pulled back into the station and as you were getting off you could hear Frisk’s voice calling your name. Looking up, you saw your group of friends walking toward you.

“I TOLD YOU THEY WOULD BE HERE! THIS IS SANS’ FAVORITE RIDE!” Papyrus said to Frisk as they approached.

“yup, you got me pap.” Sans said with a lazy smile, “but now that i’ve got my second nap of the day in, we can get back on track.”

“OF COURSE, YOU- WAIT A MINUTE, WAS THAT A TRAIN JOKE?” Papyrus questioned.

“oh come on, bro, don’t chew-chew me out for it.”

Papyrus shook his head and put his arm around you, steering you away from his brother.

“I’M SORRY YOU HAD TO DEAL WITH HIS HORRIBLE JOKES WHILE WE WERE ON THE LOG RIDE. LET ME BUY YOU A DELICIOUS COTTON CANDY TO MAKE UP FOR IT!”

You were still giggling quietly from the pun as Papyrus walked with you to a nearby concession stand.

 

* * *

 

Toriel knew something was on Sans’ mind when he wasn’t making quite as many jokes as usual. 

“Is everything alright, Sans?” She asked, looking up from the book she was reading.

He was laying next to her in bed, staring up at the ceiling with a blank expression.

“yeah, just got a lot on my mind.” He said.

This had become a regular occurrence as of late. He would come over to spend time with her, but every now and then it’d seem like his thoughts were somewhere else. She had an idea of what it might be, but she just wasn’t sure how to bring it up.

“Anything you’d like to talk about?” 

“it’s nothing important.” He said.

Tori frowned, “Are you certain? You seemed a little out of it last time you were here as well.”

Sans grunted and rolled onto his side to face her, “we got that trip coming up and there’s some things going on with the faculty in my department at work, that’s all.”

“Are you sure that’s everything?”

“hmm?”

Tori closed her book and set it on her lap, “I think there’s something you’re not telling me.”

Sans raised a brow, “what do you mean?”

“Sans, I don’t mean to pry, it’s none of my business and I know we agreed on keeping things casual between us, and my mind hasn’t changed on that… but is there anything going on between you and Frisk’s roommate, Natasha?”

His eyes widened, “what? no! where did you get that idea?”

She smiled softly, “Dear, I’m sure I’m not the only one who has noticed something there between you two. Whether you realize it or not, you’ve seem to become quite friendly with her, at least it looked that way the last few times I saw you together.”

Sans sat up and faced her, “tori, i assure you nothing is going on. sure, we’ve been on a few outings with frisk and the others, but _miss_ _clayborne_ is my student and nothing more.”

Tori gave him an amused look, “Would you not consider her a friend?”

He looked away, thinking on her words, “i… well yes, just like i think of frisk as a friend.”

She shook her head, “I don’t think it is quite the same, but I know you will keep telling yourself that.”

He looked at her questioningly but didn’t speak.

“Look, Sans… I’m just saying this as a friend, as someone who really cares about you.” She reached out and placed a hand on his cheek, “Just be careful. You are a well known and respected monster, a lot of people are watching you. I wouldn’t want you to do anything that might put your job on the line, as well as anything that might have humans seeing monsters negatively. We’ve worked hard to get to where we are now, but you and I both know that nothing is perfect, and everything could change in an instant.”

“i understand what you are saying, and i appreciate the concern.” Sans took her hand from his face and patted it, “but there is nothing you need to worry about.”

He moved off the bed and stood, stretching his arms over his head.

“You aren’t going to stay?” Tori asked.

“i’ve got to get an early start tomorrow, and it’d be difficult to try and stick to my schedule if i stay here, you know that.” He said, giving her a wink.

His words might have been true, but she knew there was more to it. When situations got uncomfortable, Sans was known to go off on his own and think for a while. She knew not to push.

“Alright, sleep well Sans.”

“night tori.”

With that, he was gone. Tori let out a sigh and set her book on the night stand before turning off her lamp and curling up under the covers.

She had to admit to herself, when she first noticed Sans and Natasha becoming closer, she become a little jealous. Sure, the two of them had agreed, after years of trying to make their relationship work, that the two of them were better off as close friends… but that didn’t mean she was ready to see him with someone else just yet.

Sans was there for her when they got to the surface, when she had to work with Asgore after their falling out, when they were told that Flowey used to be Asriel, when monsters were working so hard to gain basic rights and she had to fight to keep frisk. He was there for her to lean on through all of it. So of course she would feel uncertain if he took interest in someone else.

But Tori trusted him, she knew he wasn’t the type of person to rush into things, especially if there were major consequences. All in all, despite her feelings, she would support her friend no matter what.


	21. Carve Away the Stone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!!  
> -Paigey

The day after the trip to the amusement park, you and Frisk decided to have a lazy day of laying around on the couch watching random movies on Netflix.

“You know what we should totally do?” Frisk asked around nine that night.

“What’s that?”

“Tortillas.”

You looked at them, empty bags surrounded them from the multitude of snacks they had consumed and you were surprised they were hungry.

“Tortillas?”

“Hell yeah!” They said, “But not JUST tortillas… the best tortillas in town!”

You raised a brow, “If we’re getting the best tortillas in town, we probably shouldn’t go out in pajamas.”

“Hmm, you may be right.” They jumped up from the couch, knocking crumbs and bags into the floor, “We better get ready then!”

You sighed as they raced off to their bedroom. This certainly wasn’t how you imagined the night going, but as you thought about delicious tortillas, you decided that it might be nice going out with your friend after all.

You grabbed the trash from the area around you and threw it away before making your way to your room. Opening your closet, you looked through your clothes. You didn’t want to be too casual, but you definitely wanted to be comfortable.

 

You ended up changing into a flowy, white tank top paired with an olive jacket along with some skinny jeans and flats. Taking down your hair, you decided to style it a bit. You gave yourself a side part and worked your tightly wound curls until they somewhat framed your face, putting some oil in your hair to defrizz and shine, you smiled at yourself in the mirror and decided that you looked decent enough to go out in public.

Leaving your bedroom, you walked over to Frisk’s and knocked on the door.

“You ready, Frisk?” You called out.

“Almost! You can come in!”

You opened the door and cringed a little at the messy state of the room. Flowey silently waved at you from his spot on top of the dresser, he seemed engrossed in a video game on his 3DS.

“In here!” Frisk called from their bathroom.

Stepping into their bathroom, you looked at your roommate in surprise. Not only did they have their hair down and pushed to one side, but they were wearing a simple mustard-yellow sleeveless dress that hit just above their knees.

They stopped applying their makeup and looked at you, “I don’t look too bad, do I?”

“Bad?!” You nearly shouted in shock, “Frisk, you look amazing!”

They let out a soft laugh and looked back at the mirror, “I don’t wear stuff like this often, but every now and then I want to.”

“Friendo, you could pull off anything.” You told them honestly.

They smiled, “Thanks. I’m almost done here and we can head out!”

“No rush.” You told them.

 

* * *

 

The two of you stepped into the restaurant and were greeted by the hostess who gave you a very sweet smile and asked you both to follow her to your table. You sat down in the booth and she set your menus down, letting you know that a server would be with you shortly.

“I wish they had all-you-can-eat tortillas. That would be amazing!” Frisk said as they looked over their menu.

You laughed, “Oh man, that would be a blessing and a curse. Think of how full we’d be afterward.”

“Pshh, you say that like it would be a problem.” They said.

It wasn’t long before the waiter came by and took your orders before leaving to get your drinks. As soon as he was gone, Frisk folded their arms on the table and leaned slightly forward.

“Sooo, that trip to Hawaii is gonna be coming up pretty soon. You excited?”

You smiled, “I am! I can’t wait to get out there! Apparently someone secured us permission to go and collect samples for the university over on Ni’ihau! They don’t usually let people come out there since it’s all private property, but I guess someone worked out a deal somewhere.”

“I bet that’s not the only thing you’re excited about.” They said with a smirk.

“What are you-” You sighed, “Oh no, not this again.”

They waggled their brows, “Come on, Nat, you can’t deny it.”

“I can and I am.”

The waiter came back with your drinks and you thanked him before turning back to your roommate, who was still giving you a mischievous look.

“You suuuure?” Frisk asked.

“Oh my god. I thought you didn’t want someone involved with your friends.” You said.

They’re face lit up, “Oh! So you admit having feelings now!”

“No no no!” You threw your hands up in front of you, “I just remember you telling me that it was nice having someone that wasn’t just around because they were in a relationship with one of your friends.”

Frisk hummed to themselves and sat back, “This is true… but it sure is fun to pick on you about it!”

You smiled and rolled your eyes, “Anyway, I am excited for the trip. I should probably start packing for it soon.”

“Or you could do what I do and shove everything into a bag the night before.” They said.

“Yeah, that sounds like the smart thing to do.” You said, sarcastically.

Your mouth began to water when you saw the waiter bringing your fajitas over. The best tortillas in town sizzled on the plate and you had to hold yourself back from shoving them straight into your mouth and burning your tongue.

“So,” You started, distracting yourself while you waited for the food to cool just a bit, “What are you gonna do while I’m gone?”

“Hmm, I might go stay with mom.” They said, “Or I’ll go spend a few days with Undyne and Alphys! That’s always fun.”

“What about Flowey?”

“Oh, he’ll go with me! Either that or he’ll go stay with Da- I mean, Asgore.” They said, fumbling over their words.

Confusion crossed your face, “Did you just call Asgore dad?”

The faltered, cringing, “Uh, yeah… When we got to the surface I sorta looked up to him as a father figure.”

“You don’t see him in that way now?” You asked.

“I, well, “ They frowned, “Some stuff went down and it’s complicated.”

You took their explanation and decided dropped the subject, “Well, if you ever want to talk about it, I’m here for you.”

“Thanks.” They said.

The two of you ate in silence for the next few minutes. The food was delicious, as expected, but you couldn’t help but wonder about Frisk’s situation with Asgore. What could have possibly happened between them?

“Hey, “ Frisk began, “I know I tease you a lot, but I am glad to see you and Sans becoming friends.”

“He’s really nice.” You said, “And it’s great to see someone who has the same scientific interests as I do.”

Their grin widened, “That’s why I wanted you two to talk to one another. I knew you’d get along great.”

You looked back down at your plate. Thinking of Sans, he was someone who you really looked up to, and remembering the past few times you’d seen him, especially at the amusement park, you could see what Frisk was getting at. He was your professor, of course, but maybe it was possible for the two of you to be friends.

“You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?”

You jumped slightly, “No! I mean… yeah ok, I was, but I was just thinking about what you were saying!”

“Mm hmm, sure.” They said, wiggling their brows at you like before.

Frisk continued to mess with you through the rest of the meal and some fantastic sopapillas for dessert. You tried to ignore it and focus on your food, but there were a few times where you felt your face heat up from embarrassment.

After paying for the food, you and Frisk stepped out of the restaurant and into the chilly night air.

“Ugh, maybe you were right about me bringing a jacket.” Frisk said, rubbing their bare arms.

“Want mine?” You asked.

“Nah, we’ll be home soon.” They said, “Thanks though!”

As you walked toward your truck, you heard someone whistle. At first you ignored it, but soon someone ran out in front of you and you stopped in your tracks.

“Hey gorgeous.” The guy said. His entire demeanor and the way those words traveled out of his mouth just screamed ‘skeezy.’

“Not interested.” You said, grabbing Frisk’s arm and trying to step around him.

He cut you off again, “How can you say that if you haven’t even given me a chance? Come on, I’m a nice guy… Isn’t that right?”

He looked to a group of people nearby. One of them yelled out in agreement and the others just mumbled and turned back to whatever they were doing before.

Frisk took a step forward, “She said she’s not interested!”

“Aw, don’t be like that. There’s enough of me for both of you beautiful ladies.”

Your blood boiled, but you kept yourself as calm as possible. Frisk, however, was not holding out so well.

“Excuse me?!” They said, “How fucking dare-”

You put yourself between Frisk and the creeper. Crossing your arms, you stood strong.

“Look, I understand it must be hard stalking the streets every night, attacking any unsuspecting person you can find in hopes of gaining some sort of companionship in your pathetic life.”

At this point, his friends started listening in, a few of them attempting to stifle laughter. The guy looked taken back, and opened his mouth to say something, but you continued.

“But tonight, I suggest you turn around and go back to whatever you were doing.” You stepped forward again, causing the guy to back up, “Because I do not take too kindly to people disrespecting my friends, and I will stand up for them. You do not want this to escalate, trust me.”

At first, the guy recoiled, but you weren’t surprised when he straightened up again, like his pride was on the line.

“Listen here you-”

“Des, let it go!” One of the guys in the group called out, sounding annoyed.

Des looked at him and back to you, glaring angrily, “Whatever. They aren’t even that good looking.”

He slinked off back to his friends and you turned to Frisk only to see them stomping off toward the truck.

“Hey, Frisk, wait up!” You rushed after them.

They opened up the passenger door of your truck and turned to look at you.

“Are you ok?” You asked.

“I could’ve handled him myself.” They said.

“Frisk, I was just trying to help.” You said.

“I know, I just…” They sighed in aggravation, “Let’s just go home.”

Before you could say anything more, they climbed into the truck and shut the door.

 

The ride home was silent and you couldn’t help but notice Frisk’s constant fidgeting. As soon as you parked the car in the driveway, they jumped out and stormed off into the house. Even more concerned than before, you followed them in.

They ran off into their room and slammed the door. You walked over and gave a light tap.

“Frisk?” You spoke.

You could hear them rummaging around and Flowey asking them what happened.

“Frisk, talk to me, please.”

“This is why I never dress up, or try to look cute!” They shouted, “It always turns out the same way!”

Flowey’s voice was muffled, but he sounded angry.

“Can I come in?” You asked.

There was a moment where you weren’t sure if they were going to answer, but just as you were about to walk off, you heard Frisk say “ok.”

You opened the door to find Frisk laying back on their bed in pajamas, their dress laid crumpled on the floor.

“What the hell happened?!” Flowey asked.

“Disgusting guy tried to hit on us.” You told him as you made your way over to the bed.

Frisk rolled over to look at you as you sat down beside them. You noticed they’d thrown their hair up in a messy bun and had tried to rub off what makeup they could, but had obviously grown frustrated and left it smeared across their face.

“I’m sorry that guy said those things.” You told them, “And I’m sorry he misgendered you.”

Frisk’s forehead crinkled, “Why are you apologizing? None of that was your fault.”

They pushed themselves up into a seated position, folding their legs up under them.

“It’s not even just the misgendering.” They said, “I mean, yeah that sucked, I usually just correct people on it, but… it’s the fact that he just walked up to us like that, like we’re not worth any amount of respect!”

“I know.” You said, “It’s wrong.”

“And it happens any time I try to do anything different! Hell, sometimes I don’t even have to dress up and people do that! It’s disgusting!” They yelled, “Fuck, this is just one of the many reasons I prefer monsters over humans! Humans are just horrible, vile creatures!”

You flinched at their words and they noticed.

“Shit, not you, Natasha, you’re great.” They said, lowering their voice back to its normal speaking volume, “Just most humans.”

You glanced over to Flowey, who was scowling and avoiding both your gazes.

“I know what you mean, Frisk.” You said, “But there are so many good humans out there, I know it’s easy to focus on the shitty ones, trust me.”

“Yeah.” Frisk said quietly, fiddling with the hem of their shirt, “It’s not just me, it’s all of the monsters too, we’ve all had to deal with this sort of shit, just all these people who think they’re so much better or that they deserve more.”

“I understand.” You said, reaching over and laying a hand on their knee, “Just… I’m here for for you if you need me.”

“Thanks.” They said.

Feeling that they might need some alone time to finish cooling off, you stood up and started toward the door.

“Hey, Nat.”

You looked back, “Yeah?”

They opened their mouth to say something but stopped before anything came out.

“Its… nothing.” They said, “I hope you sleep well.”

“You too.” You said with a smile, and left the room.

~~~

“I know that look.” Flowey spoke a few moments after Natasha left the room, “I don’t like it.”

Frisk continued looking at the door, “I don’t think it would be so bad if I told her.”

“Are you kidding me?!” He said, “You’ve kept this a secret for so long, now all of a sudden you trust someone with it?”

Frisk sighed, “Flowey, don’t you think we should tell _someone_?”

Flowey looked astonished, “NO!”

A small smile crossed their lips, “I just think that if anyone found out, and still wanted to be friends… it would be her.”


	22. Getting to the Core of the Problem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hawaii trip is coming up! WHO'S EXCITED?!  
> Any ideas on to what kinda of things might happen on the trip? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS!  
> Enjoy!  
> -Paigey

Grillby had been slowly burning out since the barrier broke, but the process seemed to have sped up as time went on. What once was a strong flame was now a dim, flickering light. He had always been a man of few words, but the silence that hung in the air now was one much different than Sans was used to before.

“have you been down to the bar today?” Sans asked, sitting by Grillby’s bedside.

“No.” Grillby spoke, his voice quiet and raspy.

“it’s pretty calm right now, i figured feurig would have brought you down.” He said, “well, there’s still time in the day.”

Grillby made a noise of agreement.

Sans looked around the room, it looked the same as it always had. Grillby hadn’t changed much of the furniture, or the way it was arranged, in the many years he had been living above the bar. There were pictures of him and his daughter around the room, as well as group photos of him and all his friends.  One in particular was of Sans sitting at the bar as Grillby was pouring a drink, it was taken right after Grillby had opened up his bar on the surface, and the gang had all come over early to congratulate him, with Sans insisting that it was only fair for him to get the first drink.

“i’m surprised you still have that picture up.” Sans said, “i figured you would have taken it down years ago.”

Grillby looked to where Sans was pointing and let out a soft laugh, “That’s one of my favorites.”

Sans frowned as Grillby let out a series of coughs, sending puffs of smoke from his mouth.

“can i get you anything, grillbz?” He asked.

“No.” He said, turning back to look at Sans, “But… I do need to talk to you about something.”

Sans knew this was coming, he loathed it. Grillby never beat around the bush about anything, always straight to the point… everything Sans wasn’t. 

“are you sure i can’t get you anything.” Sans insisted, “a drink? food?”

“Sans.” Grillby spoke again, “I need you to listen to me.”

Though it was weak, Sans could still hear the serious tone in his friend’s voice. He sat still in his chair, and nodded for him to continue.

“Sans, you’ve always been a great friend,” He started, speaking slowly, “I understand this is going to be hard for you, but you can’t joke your way out of this one.”

Sans let out a short, almost bitter laugh, “are you sure, grillbz? that’s a pretty big assumption.”

Grillby cracked a smile, “Of course, you would still be joking during this. It’s a good thing… People will need your humor to lighten things up.”

“it’s going to be ok… once we figure out the source of this-”

“I appreciate you trying.” Grillby said, “But this is going to happen, Sans. Whether you like it or not, I’m not going to be here much longer.”

Sans shook his head, “no, there’s got to be a way.”

“Good… You haven’t given up.” He said, “Listen, when I am gone, you need to hold onto that hope. I know that you’re in denial right now, but you have to keep moving forward, even when you’re grieving.”

Sans didn’t say anything, he stared at the floor as Grillby continued.

“I know how you get when times get tough, I’ve seen you at your lowest… but you have people that rely on you now, you can’t let yourself fall.” He told him, “It’s more important now than ever. It will be difficult, but you can’t allow yourself to sink into sadness.”

“i don’t want to believe that this is how it will go down.” Sans said, carefully choosing his words, “i still think there is a way, no… i know there is a way. there has to be.”

Grillby reached out, his flickering hand shaking as it sat on Sans’ knee,  “We burn quickly, Sans. Bright, but quickly. I’ve had a long enough life.”

Whether Grillby was just tired of fighting, or didn’t want him to feel bad, Sans didn’t know. One thing he was sure of, though, was that he couldn’t stand by and just let his best friend die. Grillby had always been there for him, had always let him get away with shit, like never paying his tab off at the bar.

Sans took his dear friend’s hand in his and gave it a very gentle squeeze as he stood from his chair, “i really do hope you are at peace grillbz, and that you’re happy… but i’m going to find a way to fix this.”

Grillby let out a genuine laugh, “You can’t fix everything, Sans.”

A tiny smirk crossed his face, “i can at least try.”

Letting go of Grillby’s hand, Sans’ smiled at him and stepped toward the door, “want me to send feurig up?”

“If you don’t mind.”

Sans nodded, “no problem buddy. hey, i’ll see you after the trip, ok.”

“Don’t have too much fun while you’re there.” Grillby joked.

“heh, i’ll try not to… take care, grillbz.”

“You too, Sans… and thank you.”

\----

Sans parked his trike in front of Alphys and Undyne’s house. Thinking back, he probably should’ve talking to Alphys right after Asgore had mentioned the project she had been working on, but he couldn’t change that, he could only focus on the present.

Before he could even knock, the front door swung open to reveal Undyne. She stood in workout attire, her hair in a ponytail, as usual.

“Heya nerd! What brings you here?!” She asked, inviting him in.

Sans stepped past her, “hey undyne. i wanted to come by and chat with alphys. i hear she’s been pretty busy with work.”

“Yeah, she has. I feel like I barely see her during the day!” Undyne said, “She’s down in the basement working now, you can go talk to her, I don’t think she’d mind. But tell her that she needs to get back up here soon and eat something besides ramen noodles!”

“will do. thanks undyne.”

Sans made his way through the house and down the stairs to the basement where Alphys did most of her work. He found her sitting at a large computer, with a multitude of papers scattered on her desk.

“your wife is worried about you, ya know.”

Alphys let out a yelp and nearly fell out of her chair, “S-sans! Goodness! What are you doing here?”

Sans chuckled, “just came by to see what you’ve been working on.”

“Oh! Asgore mentioned he had talked to you recently. Here, let me show you what we have so far…”

 

* * *

 

 

You stood in the middle of your bedroom, the suitcase on your bed neatly packed with essentials for the trip to Hawaii. Marking off another item on your list, you set your notebook on the bed and sighed.

A soft knock on the doorframe caught your attention, you turned to see Frisk.

“Making good progress?” They asked.

“I am!” You said with a smile, “I think I’ve got everything I need, now it’s just a matter of adding any little things I want to bring.”

Frisk walked over and sat down on your bed, leaning over to peek inside your bag, “Wow, you’re good at packing! My suitcase would be a disaster! Wrinkled clothes everywhere, nothing organized at all!”

You laughed, “I do my best. I like feeling like I have everything in order.”

“And my life is pure chaos. I feel like we balance each other out pretty well!” They said.

Deciding to take a short break, you moved your bag over and sat next to Frisk.

“So, did you decide if you’re going to see Undyne and Alphys?” You asked.

“Oh yeah! I messaged Undyne, she said they were both fine with it, though Alphys might be a little busy with work.” They said, “That’s not unusual though, A lot of the times I go see if there’s something I might be able to help her with.”

“That’s nice of you!” You said.

“Well, it’s the least I can do.” They said, their voice growing soft, “She, well all of them really, helped me a lot underground. I do what I can to help them up here.”

You smiled, it was always nice to see the sincere side of Frisk. 

“But anyway! Yeah, I’m probably gonna go over there. I’ll probably go see Mom too at some point. Who knows what all I’ll do!” They said, perking back up.

“You gonna be alright with Sans gone?” You asked, “I know you two are best buds.”

“Pffft! It’ll be great not dealing with him for a while!” They joked, “Besides, I know you’ll take care of him for me.”

You rolled your eyes as they elbowed you and laughed.

“That depends on how many stupid jokes he tells.” You said, “I might end up pushing him off a cliff.”

Frisk laughed even harder and jumped up from the bed, “I wouldn’t blame you. Hey, you want anything to eat? I’m starving!”

“Sure! What’d you have in mind?” You asked.

“Hmm… wanna order pizza?”

“Sounds good to me!”

They skipped toward the door, but turned around at the last second, “Hey, quick question.”

“Yeah?”

“You gonna miss me?” They asked.

You were a little surprised by the question, unsure if they were seriously asking, or if they were still joking around.

“Yeah…?” You said, “Are you gonna miss me?”

They smiled, “I mean, I guess.”

With that, they rushed out of the room, leaving you slightly confused.

The more you thought about it though, the more you realized that, yeah, you were going to miss them. Hell, you were gonna miss Flowey too… and Papyrus, Toriel, all of them. It seemed a little silly, you wouldn’t be gone too long, but you really weren’t used to going off and leaving people behind. You hadn’t really ever had anyone you truly cared for, whenever you’d start getting close to someone, they usually left.

For a moment, staring at your suitcase, you worried about leaving. Would things change? You didn’t want it to, you were beginning to get used to these friends and you really liked them. Had you made a mistake by relying on them too much? Should you have really let yourself get this close to them?

Doubt creeped into your mind, maybe you needed to distance yourself again, put back up the walls, just to make sure you wouldn’t get hurt again.


	23. Two Birds, One Stone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this chapter! I've been playing Mass Effect... that should be a good enough excuse XD  
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

The flight was scheduled for morning, so you decided to get an early start to make sure you were awake and had everything ready to go. You set your bags by the door and grabbed a quick bite to eat. As you flipped through apps on your phone, you were a little surprised to hear the door to Frisk’s bedroom open.

“Nat? I figured you’d sleep in a little longer.”

You turned to see them standing in their doorway, still in their pajamas with their hair pulled into a messy braid.

“Well, I was just thinking about how much time I’d need to get to the bus stop, how long it’d take for the bus to actually get there, and then when it would-”

“Wait, bus?” Frisk interrupted, “Why are you taking the bus?”

“So I don’t have to pay to park my truck.” You told them.

Frisk’s forehead wrinkled, “Nat, I’m going with you, why don’t we just go in your truck and I can drive it back.”

“You’re going with me?”

They looked even more baffled, “Did you not want me to?”

“No, no! I mean, I do want you to!” You said, “I just didn’t think you wanted to.”

“Why wouldn’t I go with you?” They asked.

You shrugged, “I don’t know, I just… I guess I just usually do this type of stuff on my own.”

Frisk let out a quiet laugh and shook their head, “Nat, I hate to break it to ya,” They walked over and laid a hand on your shoulder, “But you’re stuck with me.”

You couldn’t help but crack a smile at that. You hadn’t lied, you usually traveled on your own, you certainly weren’t used to having any friends to see you off at the airport. The more you thought on it, the more you liked the idea. It was nice.

“Oh no, that sounds terrible.” You joked.

“I know, just ask all my friends, they’ve all tried to get rid of me before, but it’s practically impossible!” They said, patting your arm as they made their way to the kitchen.

“Come on, dude. I’m sure we could both use some coffee right now.”

 

* * *

 

The airport was pretty big, and you had to look at the signs carefully to make sure you were going the right way. Sans had sent you a text the day before letting you know where everyone was meeting so they could get a headcount before going through security. 

“Excited?” Frisk asked as the two of you walked.

“I am!” You said, “We’re gonna go over a lot of interesting things!”

A small laugh slipped from their mouth and you looked over at them. They smiled and shook their head.

“It’s funny how thrilled you are by rocks.” They said.

Your forehead wrinkled, “It’s not just rocks, there’s a lot more to it.”

“Pssh, you say that, but it’s just like with Sans. Both of you see a shiny rock and go,” They waved their hands around dramatically, “Oh! This is a fine specimen! I must study it, for science!”

You let out an embarrassingly loud laugh, “I do not do that!”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

Your laughter died down as you neared the meeting point, down the hall you could see a group of people you didn’t recognize, but you picked out your professor pretty quickly. 

“Dr. Noodle!!” Frisk called out.

Sans turned to see the two of you and lifted his hand in a small wave. Excusing himself from the group, he walked toward you.

“hey you two.” He glanced at you, “prepared for the trip?”

“Yeah!” You said enthusiastically.

“She won’t shut up about it.” Frisk said. You lightly elbowed them in the side.

“heh, to be honest, i’m pretty excited about it too. ready to meet the rest of the group?” He asked.

“Oh, sure, uh… Just let me talk to Frisk real quick.” You told him.

He nodded and stepped back over to the others. You turned toward Frisk and gave them a hard look.

“You better not wreck my truck while I’m gone.” You said, trying to be intimidating, but finding it hard to keep the smile off your face.

“Your truck is already a wreck, I can’t do much worse.” They said, smirking.

“Ok, rude.” You said, “Seriously though, be safe.”

“I always am!” They said.

Frisk’s next move had you a little stunned as they threw their arms around you and squeezed tightly.

“Don’t have too much fun without me!” They said.

You hugged them back, laughing, “I won’t.”

They let go and took a step back, a huge smile on their face.

“I’ll be here when you get back.”

You nodded, “I appreciate it.”

With that, you said your goodbyes and you watched Frisk head back out toward the way you came in. For a moment there it really seemed like they didn’t want to go, or that they didn’t want you to leave. You wondered if they had been sharing the same feelings you’d had, of not wanting to be away from the person you’d been confiding in for months now. One good friend that you felt you could depend on.... But, Frisk had friends like that already, didn’t they?

Turning back to the group, you caught Sans’ eye. He immediately waved you over to where he was standing.Taking one last look back, you stepped over to join the other students.

“miss clayborne, “ Sans spoke as you joined him, “this is dr. donald pense, head of geology and earth sciences at the university.”

You looked to the man, who seemed a good bit older than many of the other professors at the university. His gray hair was combed over, his dark eyes surrounded by fine lines as he gave you a hard look. Intimidated as he seemed, you still held out your hand.

“Nice to meet you, Dr. Pense. I’m Natasha Clayborne.” You said.

He studied you for a moment before shaking your hand, “Miss Clayborne… I’ve heard quite a bit about you.”

“Really?” You asked, not expecting him to know more than just your name.

“Your professor here has mentioned you a few times, said you’re smart and capable of holding your own in this field.” 

You couldn’t help but notice a bit of skepticism in his voice, “Thank… you.” 

“Yes, well, we shall see how correct he is about you in the coming days.” He nodded curtly toward you and Sans before turning to approach some of the other students.

You turned toward Sans as soon as Dr. Pense was out of earshot, “Is he always like that?”

“you mean an utter dick? yeah.” He said, “don’t worry too much about it.”

Despite what Sans was saying, you couldn’t help but be just a little worried. But you knew you were intelligent, and you were going to make it a point to show that to him.

\---

As you came to your seat on the plane, you saw two other students in your row, leaving you with the aisle seat. The one in the middle seat was a dragon-like monster with iridescent blue and silver scales, the student near the window was a human girl with a purple mohawk that flopped lazily to one side of her head. You smiled and sat down, shoving your small carry-on bag under the seat in front of you.

“Hey, you must be one of Dr. Spaghetti’s students.” The monster next to you said.

“Yeah!” You said, “I’m Natasha, nice to meet you.”

“Likewise, my name is Ormarr, this here is Zora.” They said.

Zora leaned forward a little and waved at you, you waved back.

“Are you both students of Dr. Pense?” You asked.

“Unfortunately.” Zora said.

Ormarr shook their head, “What she means to say is, yes, we are… he’s a little rough around the edges, but he has taught us well.”

“Pfff, ‘rough around the edges.’” Zora said, “He treats you like shit, Ormarr, everyone can see that.”

“That’s not the point, Zora.” Ormarr replied, “He is a good professor, no matter his personal opinions on monsters.”

“Or nonbinary people in general.” She muttered under her breath.

Ormarr shook their head and turned back to you, “Forgive her, she’s just a little grumpy because she didn’t get to have any of her fancy teas this morning.”

You couldn’t help but snicker slightly as Zora blew a raspberry at him before looking back out the window.

“So, have you been on a trip like this before?” Ormarr asked you.

“Nope! This will be my first time going to Hawaii too, though I’ve read a lot about it.” You said.

Ormarr nodded, “It’s the same for us. We’re pretty excited about it.”

“good thing you’re so excited. we’ve got a while on this plane.”

You looked over to see Sans sitting down in the seat across the aisle from you.

“You mean I gotta sit for hours on this plane next to you?” You joked.

Sans feigned offense, “i’m shocked! i planned a whole comedy routine for this flight, plenty of bone puns included!”

You laughed and shook your head, “Oh, this is going to be terrible.”

“miss clayborne, you wound me.”

You watched as the stewardesses went through the safety protocols, biting back giggles as Sans made little jokes here and there.

“Oh my god, he’s going to be doing this the entire time.” You mumbled to yourself as the plane began turning toward the runway.

“Did you know the professor before?” Ormarr whispered to you, “You two seem to get along well.”

“Huh? Oh!” You said, “Nah, we met through my roommate, Frisk. They hang out sometimes and I tend to get dragged along.”

“Ah, understood.” They said, sitting back in their seat.

You looked over to Sans, who was tapping his fingers against the armrest. You reached over and got his attention.

“You nervous?” You asked.

“heh, that obvious? yeah, im still not used to flying all that much.” He said.

“I gotcha.” You said.

“its just the taking off part mostly.” He told you, “and the landing… and the in between parts.”

You smiled sympathetically, “I’m sure it’ll be fine, just try and take a nap.”

“that won’t be hard, i barely slept at all last night.” He said.

You reached down to your bag and pulled out your neck pillow. He looked confused as you handed it over to him.

“Here, so you don’t get wake up with neck pain.” You said.

He looked at you and hesitantly took the pillow, “appreciate it.”

You smiled and nodded before turning your attention to the window to watch as the plane took off. As you looked over, you saw Ormarr smirk slightly.

“What?” You asked.

“It’s nothing.” They said.

You were about to ask again, but they proceeded to put some headphones on and mess around on their phone. Leaning your head back against your seat, you closed your eyes and let the vibrations of the plane lull you to sleep.

 


	24. We'll Have a Marbleous Time!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you follow me on Tumblr, you know I've been having trouble writing lately. So I have done away with any sort of update schedule, but I am going to continue writing when I can! I hope y'all understand, sometimes I just can't, and I don't want anything to feel rushed.
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

The hotel was kinda shitty, honestly… but it wasn’t like you were paying for it, so you weren’t going to complain.

The room looked like a standard hotel room, two beds with their own nightstands, a dresser with a TV sitting atop it, along with an uncomfortable looking chair in the corner. Pulling back the curtain, you looked out the fairly large window and saw… well, the side of the building next to the hotel.

“Of course they picked the cheapest place they could find.” Zora muttered under her breath as she started unpacking her bags. You were a little surprised to find out that you’d be sharing a room with her, not that you minded really, she seemed like a nice person.

Unpacking your suitcase, you began folding your clothes neatly into outfits and putting them into the dresser drawers. Nearing the bottom of the bag, you frowned as you pulled out an article of clothing and held it up.

“Ooo! Who you getting all dressed up for?!” Zora asked, raising her eyebrows in curiosity. 

It was a simple, halter-top red dress that you recalled wearing once… maybe. It had been shoved into the back of your closet at home. 

“Nobody.” You shook your head, “My roommate put it in here, probably as a joke.”

You began to put it back when Zora stopped you, “Wait! You should totally hang it up just in case! You never know what kind of places we’ll end up at here!”

“We’re here on business, not to go anywhere fancy.” You said.

She shrugged, “Like I said, you never know.”

Looking back at the dress, you made a guess at why Frisk put it in there and quickly dismissed it.Unsure if you were doing it just to appease your temporary roommate or if you actually wanted to wear it, you grabbed a hanger from the small closet and hung it up.

As you finished unpacking, you heard your phone go off. You picked it up off the bed and opened up the new text message.

**Dr. Spaghetti** :   
we’re meeting in the lobby in an hour to go over this week’s schedule.

You sent him back a simple “Ok.” and looked over at Zora, who was messing with her own phone.

“You get a message about meeting downstairs?” You asked.

“Yeah.” She said, “I’m gonna head down there a little early though, discuss something things with a few of the other students.”

“Oh.” you said.

She looked up at you, “You’re welcome to join us!”

You smiled, “I’ll be down there in a bit, I need to organize a few of my things first.”

“Alrighty then!” She said, whirling around and heading for the door, “See ya in a bit!”

With that, she was out of the room. You sat back on the bed and opened up a new text to Frisk.

**You** :   
Frisk, wtf?!

It didn’t take long for them to reply.

**Frisky Business** :   
What did I do????

You rolled your eyes.

**You** :   
You know what you did! When did you even find this dress and put it in my bag without me noticing?!

**Frisky Business** :   
Hahahahaha, that’s my secrettt!

**You** :   
I’m not wearing it.

**Frisky Business** :   
We’ll see ;)

You sighed and locked your phone. Frisk was something else, that was for certain. You couldn’t quite understand them, but they were definitely fun to be around.

Looking over at your bag and seeing all of the smaller items you hadn’t gotten around to putting away, you started feeling restless and decided to take a break. The hotel itself might not have the nicest accommodations, but this was Hawaii, surely there was something nice around, if only a peaceful view of the area.

You pocketed your phone and grabbed your room key as you made your way out of the room and into the hallway. As you stopped to make sure the door shut properly behind you, you heard a familiar voice in the room next door. 

“yeah, bro, i’ll make sure to do that.” The voice said as the door’s handle turned, “and i’ll see if i can find a souvenir for mettaton too… well, i don’t know if i can get a toy for every single cat, pap…”

Curious about the conversation that you probably shouldn’t have been hearing, you waited as Sans stepped out of the nearby room.

“alright, pap, i’ll let you get back to it.” He said, “love you too. Later.”

He hung up and looked over at you, his smile lifting slightly as he stuffed his phone into his pants pocket.

“Hey, Dr. Spaghetti.” You said, “How’s Papyrus?”

“he’s just as peppy as ever.” He said, “a little jealous that i’m here and he isn’t, so i told him i’d find a few things for him.”

“That’s nice.You’re a good brother.” You told him.

He chuckled and reached up to scratch the back of his skull, “heh, i don’t know about that. but he definitely deserves any gifts i can get him.”

You had to admit, Sans fondness for his little brother was quite adorable, but as an awkward silence fell over the two of you, you decided to change the subject.

“So, are you going downstairs to talk to Dr. Pense?” You asked.

Sans scowled, “unfortunately. he asked me to meet with him before we get everyone together.”

“Oh, well then I won’t keep you.” You said.

Sans laughed, “don’t worry about that, the longer it takes me to get down there, the better!”

“I take it you reeeally don’t like him.” You said with a smirk.

Sans glanced around, making sure nobody was around to hear, “i have a good reason for it. he’s never been one to agree with monsters and has been trying to find a way to get me off his back since day one.”

You looked at him with mild surprise, “Really?”

“yeah,” He shoved his hands in his pockets, “but you didn’t hear that from me.”

“Hear what?”

“exactly.” He motioned toward the end of the hall and the two of you started walking, “so, where are you headed?”

“Don’t know. Probably just gonna walk around the hotel until time for the meeting.” You told him.

“well that sounds infinitely better than what i’m doing.” He said, “but if i keep pense waiting too long, i’ll never hear the end of it.”

You both stepped into the empty elevator and Sans pressed the button for the lobby. You leaned back against the wall as the doors closed.

“Is this week gonna be pretty busy?” You asked.

“it won’t be awfully busy.” He said, “first week is mostly to get everyone used to what we’re gonna be doing here, in fact, we probably won’t be doing anything at all today. everyone will have time to settle into their rooms.”

“That’s good. I am excited to see what all we’ll be doing here though.” 

“you’ll enjoy it, i know. that’s why i vouched for you.” He looked over at you, “that and i know you’ll be a good addition to the team.”

You hoped your dark complexion didn’t show the heat on your cheeks.

The elevator arrived at the ground floor and you stepped out with your professor. He let out a sigh and slouched a little more.

“as much as i’d like to, i better not keep him waiting.” He said, “nice talking to you, don’t go off and get yourself into trouble.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not Frisk.” You joked.

He laughed, “thank god for that. see ya around miss claybourne.”

“Later, Dr. Spaghetti.”

 

* * *

 

There really wasn’t much to see around the hotel. There was a pool and a small cafe, and you were surprised there was even that much. You had decided to grab some coffee and spotted Zora and Ormarr sitting with some of the other students. Zora waved you over and introduced you to the others. You ended up hanging out with them until it was time for the meeting.

The group met up in the lobby and the professors passed out some schedules while explaining the events of the week. Reading over yours made you just as excited as when you’d first talked to Sans about it.

Ormarr elbowed you lightly and leaned over, “Excited much?”

You looked up at them, “Hmm?”

They laughed softly, “You’re bouncing a bit.”

It was then you realized you had been bouncing up and down on your heels, had that been why Sans was smiling when he handed you your schedule?

You settled down, though your legs were still a little shaky, “Ha, I am a little excited I guess. I’ve never been able to do anything like this, though I’ve always wanted to!”

They smiled and patted your shoulder, “You’ll do well, I’m sure.”

Turning back to the professors, you listened as Dr. Pense rattled off some rules that made it sound like you were a bunch of high schoolers and not adults, thankfully Sans was there for comedic relief. You tried to hide your laughter as he’d make jokes that stopped Dr. Pense in his tracks and cause him to glare over at him multiple times.

Once the meeting was concluded, Sans stepped over to where you and a few of the others were standing.

“don’t worry.” He said as soon as Dr. Pense was out of earshot, “it doesn’t need to be as strict as he makes it out to be. just have fun while you’re here… as much fun as you can without causing trouble.”

“Yes sir!” A few of the students rang out.

Sans stretched his arms over his head and yawned, “welp, it’s nap time for me.”

“Nap time?” You asked, “This early?”

“yep. since we aren’t busy today, i might as well take full advantage of the free time.” He smiled, “by sleeping it away.”

You shook your head and waved at him as he walked off toward the elevator.

Looking down at the paper in your hands, the excitement about the trip bubbled up inside you. The science, the sights, and the opportunity to make new friends. It was definitely something different, and you were more than ready for the adventure.

 


	25. Getting Boulder Every Minute

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look! A new chapter!! :D  
> Enjoy!!!  
> -Paige

The end of the first week arrived quicker than anticipated, you couldn’t speak for everyone, but you had really enjoyed everything you all had been working on. The second day there, you got to meet up with the field team that you’d be working with during the duration of your stay. They were nice people who you might have been a little overly excited about meeting..

The next couple of days were spent touring the University of Hawaii Manoa facility and discussing the kind of research that went on there, and how the team would be collecting mineral samples for the university and using the UH facility’s mass spectrometers to analyze samples for content and potential interest.

Pretty much most of the entire first week was spent learning about what you would be doing, but not actually doing it, and by the time Thursday rolled around, and with it your first day working out in the dirt with your team, you were itching to go. 

While a good part of the morning was spent wedged in the back of one of the two UH Manoa trucks that your group was spread across, the view through the back window was unbelievable as you all made your way along the southern portion of the island. You passed through several smaller cities before - nearly two hours later - the trucks stopped at the coast of Ka’ena Point. You climbed out of the back and gasped at the beautiful scenery before you. Looking down at the beach the first thing you noticed was black rock creeping in fingers down across the sand and into the sea, it was unlike any beach you’d ever seen.

Your group gathered and began walking carefully down a steep path toward the rocks. One of the field researches walked in front, giving the group information on the area.

“The point, here, is composed largely of fossiliferous coral conglomerate with loose coral and basalt cobbles from here at the dune field all the way up to the top of those hills there” She said, pointing back inland, “The road that once ran around Ka’ena Point to Makua on the western shore of O’ahu was destroyed years ago by high surf and chronic erosion, which is why you all are going to hoof it this last mile and a half!”

The students’ jobs were to gather samples of the basalt and examine erosion on the hillsides surrounding the area. The first day was spent doing just that, until everyone was tired and filthy. Having decided to camp out that night just off the shoreline, you all readied your sleeping bags and sat around a small campfire while listening to the researcher’s stories about the island and what kind of discoveries had been made there over the years and how those same discoveries had long been echoed in the island’s folklore and spoken history.

Everything had been great… until the crabs showed up. Apparently nobody knew, or nobody had warned you, how bad crabs could get on the beaches at night, you even found one in your sleeping bag as you were getting up the next morning! Between that and Zora’s snoring, you didn’t get too much sleep, but you wouldn’t trade the view you had of the stars and the soothing sound of the crashing waves for anything.

 

* * *

 

When Saturday night rolled around, everyone planned on meeting at a restaurant that was in walking distance from the hotel. Zora had gone on ahead to meet up early, but you were engrossed in one of your books, so you told her you’d meet up later.

Well, when you said later, you didn’t really mean ‘late.’ But that was what it ended up meaning. You looked over at your phone to see that it was just a few minutes before the time you’d be meeting the group. 

“Shit!” You cursed, jumping up from the bed and grabbing your phone and purse. Making sure you had your room key, you ran out of the room and down to the elevator, where you saw the door was closing.

“Hold the door, please!” You yelled out, hoping whoever was in the elevator had heard you.

A hand shot out between the doors and they opened back up, as you stepped in you were greeted with a familiar, skeletal face.

“Oh, Dr. Spaghetti! Thank you!” You said, panting as you leaned back against the elevator wall.

“did you oversleep too?” He asked.

“No, I was studyin- Wait, you were sleeping??” You asked.

“of course.” He said, “wanted to make sure i had the energy to walk to the restaurant.”

You let out a small laugh, “Fair enough. I just hope they make sure to save us seats.”

“i’m sure they will.” He said, flashing you a smile.

\---

About 10 minutes walking, and you were sure the two of you were lost.

“I think we might be going the wrong way.” You said as the two of you walked along the sidewalk.

Sans stopped and looked around, “were we supposed to take a left back there instead? i might have misheard pense earlier.”

You hummed and shoved your hands in your pockets, “Can you call him and ask?”

“well, that had crossed my mind… until i realized my phone was dead.” He said, “and i’d say we could use yours, but i never actually cared enough to memorize his number.”

“Maybe someone is still at the hotel and knows where the restaurant is.” You said.

“yeah. if not, i’m sure i could find my phone charger and call pense.” Sans sighed, “now we have to walk all the way back.”

You laughed, “It isn’t that far of a walk… Oh! Can’t you do that magic poofy thing?”

He looked at you and raised a brow bone, “really? magic poofy thing?”

“Teleportation!” You corrected yourself, “I remember you doing that one time, and Frisk said that you could teleport to and from places you’ve been before!”

“oh. i could if we were back home, but it’s too far away out here.” He said.

“Too far away?” You asked.

“it’s complicated.” He said as you both started back toward the hotel, “you see, we have a source of magic that comes from the mountain and in order for monsters to use some of our stronger powers, we need to be near it.”

“Ohh, that makes sense.” You said, “But aren’t monsters made up of magic? What happens if you move to far away?”

Sans went quiet for a moment and you could tell he was thinking hard about his next words.

“it didn’t used to be a problem, the source was a lot stronger then…” 

You frowned as his sentence trailed off into silence, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up anything personal.”

He shook his head, “no, no, it’s fine. i mean, it’s not fine, the situation itself sucks, but you didn’t do anything wrong by asking about it.”

You thought for a moment, wondering if you were overstepping your boundaries by asking further questions on the subject… but Sans was your friend, right? Obviously this wasn’t something he talked about with just anybody.

“Don’t feel like you have to answer,” You started, “but is there a reason the source of magic isn’t as strong now as it used to be?”

“we aren’t exactly sure yet, though there have been a lot of guesses.” He said, “we’ve got some big brains working on it right now.”

“Is that why you aren’t out there working on it?” 

He looked at you questioningly, “wha?”

“Ya know, no brains… because you’re a skeleton… and skeletons don’t have organs-” You sputtered, “Oh my god, I’m sorry, that was terrible, I’m so sorry.”

There was a moment where you couldn’t judge Sans’ reaction, but it wasn’t long before he let out the loudest laugh you’d ever heard from him. He had to stop and lean against a wall throughout his giggle fit. You stood beside him, laughing a little awkwardly as people passed by, staring at the scene in confusion.

“oh my god.” Sans said as he caught his breath, “that was a good one, i was not expecting that at all.”

“You mean, I didn’t accidently just make a racist comment against monsters?” You asked, “It was literally just the first thing that came to my mind, I should really learn to watch what I say.”

He laughed again and pushed himself from the wall, “no, that was great. i really needed that, thanks.”

“Heh, yeah, no problem.” You said, still unsure of yourself.

Sans let out a sigh of what sounded like relief as he started walking again. You wondered if he was really ok and how dire the situation he was talking about before might be. You definitely didn’t want to make him talk more about something that clearly upset him, but you didn’t just want to leave it alone either.

“Hey, Sans.” You started.

“hm?”

“I just wanted to say that… well, I don’t really know what’s going on, and I don’t expect you to let me in on any secrets you may have, but, well, “ You took a breath as you figured out your next words, “I want you to know that I’m here if you need to talk to someone.”

He looked at you for a moment, surprised at your offer it seemed. Quickly, he turned his gaze back down to the sidewalk.

“i’ll keep that in mind.” He said quietly, “thanks.”

You smiled and matched his pace as the two of you headed toward the hotel, all the while you rattled through jokes in your head that might make him laugh again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment if you're excited about this trip!


	26. Purely Plutonic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, it's been a bit. Life has been complicated lately and it's affected pretty much all of my social life and anything I've been needing to focus on.  
> I want to finish this story SO bad. Y'all have no idea how badly I want to include all the ideas we have for it. I truly think it would be one of the best things I've had a part in writing. But... it's going to be difficult from here on out, and I don't know if I will be able to complete it fully, and if I do, I don't know how often I will be putting out chapters, and I'm really sorry about that.  
> Also, I deleted my Tumblr for a few reasons, one of them being that I just needed a break from it.  
> Thank you for those of you who checked in on me. I truly appreciate it more than you'll ever know. It's nice knowing that there are people out there who care enough to reach out, even if they only know me from a silly fanfic :)  
> Love you, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. <3  
> -Paige

Time passed in a whirlwind of excitement and discovery. You were a little sad when the final days of the trip approached. Trying not to dwell on the sadness of leaving, you took to your books for comfort. 

As you read through one of the books Sans’ had loaned you, your phone vibrated on the nightstand. You reached over to pick it up, curious as to who might be texting you at this hour.

**Dr. Spaghetti** :  
hey, you like stars dont you?

You stared at the text, blinking in confusion.

**You** :   
Yeahhh… Why do you ask?

**Dr. Spaghetti** :   
could you come down to the lobby for a minute?.

You were even more confused then, but knowing Sans this was either some kind of joke, or he actually had something waiting for you that was related to stars. You hopped up from your bed and shoved your phone in your purse before slinging it over your shoulder.

“Where are you headed out to this late?” Zora asked, looking up at you from her tablet.

“Just going for a walk.” You told her, “I’ll be back in a bit.”

She stared suspiciously at you for a moment before shrugging her shoulders, “Alright. Be safe.”

“Will do.” You said.

You took the elevator to the lobby and walked out to see Sans standing by the entrance. He was wearing a blue jacket you had seen once before, along with some sweatpants and sneakers. He waved you over and you followed him outside.

“So… what’s this all about?” You asked.

“need your assistance with something.” He said.

He jingled a set of keys in his hand and nodded toward one of the trucks from the university. Taking the hint, you opened the passenger door and climbed in as he went around to the driver’s side.

“You need my assistance with something?”

The truck roared to life, “that’s what i told pense to get him off my back. really i just pulled a few strings with someone i know and i get to show you a pretty cool place.”

“What kind of place?” You asked.

He smiled, “you’ll see.”

You sighed and crossed your arms over your chest, slouching back in your seat. Glancing at Sans from the corner of your eye, you noticed he had a slight smirk on his face. Whatever he was planning, he must have been damn proud of it.

 

* * *

 

Wherever he was taking you, you certainly didn’t expect it to be at the top of Mauna Kea. He pulled up to one of the tall, domed buildings and parked the truck. 

“You brought me to one of the observatories?” You asked.

“yup. i got a friend who works here. she’s letting us use the telescope tonight.” Sans said as the two of you stepped outside of the truck.

You gasped, partly from your surprise, and a little from the sudden chill wind that hit your bare arms.

“Sans! Nice to see you again!” A woman called from the building’s doors. She smiled politely at both of you, “Come on in, you know how cold it gets up here!”

Sans made a motion for you to go on ahead and you happily obliged. 

“You must be Miss Clayborne.” The lady spoke as soon as the three of you were inside, “Sans mentioned that you enjoyed astrology.”

“O-oh, uh, yeah.” You stammered, “I don’t know all that much, but I love studying it!”

The woman held out her hand, “That’s good to hear. I’m Dr. Kaylie Volstok, I work on the Keck Telescope Array here.”

You shook her hand, “It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Volstok.”

“so, how about this telescope.” Sans chimed in.

Kaylie chuckled and motioned for you to follow her. 

You stepped into a large, domed room where an insanely large telescope was sitting on a platform in the middle.

“You two take as long as you like! I know just how enthralling looking out of these telescopes can be!” Kaylie said, waving the two of you off before stepping out.

You looked over at Sans, who smiled and motioned for you to follow as he walked up onto the platform. Not wanting to touch anything, you stood off to the side and watched as he made a few adjustments to the telescope, looking through the eyepiece and positioning it where he wanted it.

“all ready for ya.” He said.

You hesitantly took a few steps forward, looking at him for reassurance. He nodded and you took an anxious breath and peered through the telescope.

A soft gasp left you as you took in the vastness of the small bit of galaxy you were looking at. Stars glimmered across the sky, showing a wonderful display of colors.

“Oh, wow.” You said, “Sans, this is amazing!”

“isn’t it though?” He said, “every time i look up at the sky, i see something new. it’s incredible.”

Every few minutes he’d move the telescope to show you a different view, and each time you were in awe. It was so insane, the feeling of being so small on the earth and looking at just a section of what all was out there to explore and research. A chill ran up your spine as you thought on it and looked through the eyepiece once more.

“cold?” Sans asked.

You stood up and looked at him, “Well, now that you mentioned it…” You rubbed your arm, “I didn’t know we’d be going to the top of a mountain. It’s fine though! This telescope more than makes up for it.”

Sans let out a soft laugh and shook his head. He shrugged off his blue jacket and held it out to you, “take it, the cold goes right through me anyway.”

You rolled your eyes with a smile and took the jacket. You were relieved as you pulled it on and felt the warmth of it envelope you.

“Thanks.” You said, “I really appreciate it.”

“no problem.” He said.

You swore you saw his cheekbones turn slightly blue as he turned away and stepped over to a nearby panel.

“well, if you think looking at that is amazing, let me show you this.”

The next two hours flew by, and the two of you felt somewhat bad about keeping Kaylie there for so long. But she didn’t seem to mind. She smiled and thanked you both for visiting as you left.

 

* * *

“Are you sure you took the right turn? It didn’t take this long to get from the hotel to the observatory.” You said.

Sans sighed in aggravation, “i thought i did, but now i honestly don’t know.”

You pulled out a map of the area that you had spied in the floorboard earlier. Opening it up, you turned on the flashlight on your phone to get a better look.

“If we can just get to some sort of road marker.” You said, “Anything that may be able to tell us where we are on here.”

“alright, uh…” Sans leaned forward as if it might help him see more of the area, “i’m gonna take this turn right up here, maybe it will take lead us to something familiar.”

“Sounds good, not like we have any better options.” You said.

It wasn’t long before you were questioning it though, as soon as he turned, the path became more rough than before, and the bouncing of the van had you holding onto the bar above your seat.

“Something tells me that it might have been better just to turn back.” You said.

Sans went silent for a moment, either concentrating hard on the road ahead, or considering your words. You were just about to speak when he stopped the van.

“Everything ok?” You asked.

“look.” He said, pointing out your window.

You looked to the right and could see a beach through a clearing. The moon shone brightly over the water as the waves crashed onto the land.

Sans steered toward it until it was in full view before you. He put the van in park and cut the engine, letting the sounds of the night fill your ears.

“i say we take a short break, we’ll turn around in a bit.” He said, leaning back in his seat.

You let out a sigh and put down the map before checking your phone to see if you had enough signal to use the gps, you didn’t.

“Yeah, ok.” You said, “That might be good. It’ll clear our heads.”

“exactly.”

You couldn’t help but stare at Sans, he looked content, the lights of his eye sockets seemed to glow a little brighter. The moonlight shined on his skull and it was honestly beautiful to see.

“i don’t think i’ll ever get tired of stuff like this.” He said, gesturing at the beach, “i’ve been up here for 15 years, but it’s still breathtaking.”

You looked from him back out the windshield, “I guess… I guess some of us take it for granted. It’s nice to see nature being appreciated it.”

Sans gave a short nod in agreement and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he gazed at the view.

“after living underground for so many years, it’s just not something i can see myself becoming accustomed to.”

His eye sockets closed, “no horizon, no sun, no stars… nothing but walls and ceilings down there. magic controlled the seasons of each environment, but it definitely wasn’t the same as this.”

You undid your seatbelt and turned in your seat toward him, studying him as he reminisced.

“i never thought i’d live to be up here, to see everything the world had to offer. we tried for so long to figure out a way to break that barrier, it seemed impossible. i tried my best to focus on the good things i had, papyrus, my job, my friendships. sometimes it just seemed hopeless though.”

You frowned, “I’m sorry that it was so difficult.”

“it’s not your fault.” He said.

Another moment of silence passed between you and you turned to look at the moon again.

“Do you ever go back down there now?” You asked.

He fidgeted on his seat and for a minute you thought you might have asked the wrong question.

“i... try not to go back there unless it’s work related.” He said, sounding like he was choosing his words carefully.

“I can understand that.” You said.

“it wasn’t all bad down there, but i would never want to go back after seeing all this. I keep a few things to remind me of the better times, like that hoodie you’re still wearing.”

It then came to your attention that you hadn’t given him back his coat. You looked down, it was unzipped and the sleeves were pushed to your elbows. It was extremely soft and smelled of pine trees and woodsmoke.

“Shit.” You said, “Sorry, Sans, I completely forgot.”

He chuckled, “it’s fine, i don’t mind you wearing it.”

That caught you off guard a little. “I um, well,” You fumbled over your words, “About what we were talking about… I’m glad you’re up here now, and that you get to see everything.”

“me too.” He said, his voice barely a whisper.

“Are you ok?” You asked, glancing back over.

As you faced him, you suddenly became aware of just how close the two of you were. Your face burned a little and you were thankful that it was still dark out.

“y-yeah.” he said, “i’m good.”

You couldn’t tear your eyes away from him, and it seemed that he was having the same issue with you. The background noise seemed to fade and you could only hear your breathing and your heart beating in your ears.

“I-” You started.

“you look really good in blue, ya know.” he blurted out.

You were pretty sure then that he could see your cheeks blushing, but it didn’t matter anymore. You stared into his eyes and before you knew it, you were leaning closer to him.

Eyelids fluttering shut, you pressed your lips against the bones of his teeth. A slight terror washed through you, what were you doing?

That terror disappeared in an instant though, as you felt him kiss you back.

 


	27. On the Rocks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, look at me! 2 chapters out so far this year! XD  
> I gotta thank those of you who have stuck by me, and all of you new readers too! I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate all of those who read my stories, even those of you who have never commented :P I see you, and I love you!  
> Also, I made a new Tumblr, so go follow me! It's FitofPaige17  
> Enjoyyyy!  
> -Paige
> 
> (also read the end notes please!)

Sans sighed and rested his skull in his hands as he sat alone in his hotel room. He hadn’t been able to sleep much at all after what happened the night before.

_ ‘this is a disaster.’ _ He thought to himself. ‘ _ you had one job, sans, and that was not to get involved with a student. one. job.’ _

He had broken a major rule that he vowed to stand by, and now his job was in jeopardy. Not only that, but he felt guilty about Natasha. Did he regret the kiss? No, not one bit. But the moment the emotions stopped clouding his mind he realized that this could go wrong much quicker, and much more painful, than he had previously thought.

It was one thing to have his job on the line, it was another to potentially hurt his friend, and that was exactly what Natasha was. He was certainly not in denial about being in a position of power over her. Would she feel compelled to follow his every word? Would she be afraid that he might fail her if she upset him? That wasn’t what he wanted at all.

This was a dangerous game, for the both of them, but something about that kiss… it just felt right. He felt like he could really be himself around Nat, she just seemed to really get him.

He groaned and flopped back onto the bed, still unable to get the kiss off his mind. They had kissed once and pulled back after a few moments, looking into each others’ eyes, and then kissed again. He could still remember the beachy scent that wafted from her hair, and the softness of her lips against him. They had eventually pulled back altogether, breathless and slightly shocked at their actions. Afterward, they didn’t speak of it. Natasha used the map to help get them back to the hotel, they awkwardly told each other goodnight, and they went to their separate rooms.

This couldn’t continue, if they both wanted to stay out of trouble they would have to go back to just simply being teacher and student. Nothing more. But thinking that way made his figurative stomach churn uncomfortably. He couldn’t deny that he wanted to be more than that… but the risk was just too high.

Sans’ phone chimed, pulling him out of his thoughts. He groaned as he read the message from Dr. Pense. He didn’t want to leave the room at all today, but then again, a good distraction would probably be the best thing for him.

 

* * *

 

Tonight was the night of the party the students had all put together. The last night of the trip, a night for celebration and relaxation. The trip had been educational and exciting, but you were definitely ready to get back home and see Frisk. You wondered what they were doing, and if Flowey had destroyed anything in the house. Frisk was pretty good at keeping him in line though, and you were sure if he was really getting out of hand, a threat to call Papyrus would definitely set him straight.

You had to focus your attention back on the present situation, though. The luau would be starting in a couple of hours and you still didn’t know what you were going to wear.

“Natasha, this is the exact reason your roommate would put that dress in your suitcase.” Zora said from the other side of the room, “It would look amazing on you!”

You stood in your bathrobe, staring at the red dress hanging in your closet. You frowned, “I’m not sure…”

Zora sighed, “Ok, how about this, just try it on. Look at yourself in the mirror and see what you think and go from there.”

You didn’t want to, but Zora had been nagging you about the dress all day. Giving in, you took the dress off the hanger and stepped into the bathroom, shaking your head at Zora whooping in celebration.

You stripped off the robe and pulled the dress over your head. Once you had it situated at your waist, you found the strips of cloth at the top and pulled them up to tie them behind your neck. After making sure the knot was secured, you smoothed all of the wrinkles out and looked into the mirror.

The dress was form fitting, but not so tight that it was uncomfortable. The bottom of it ended about 2 inches above your knees, and the neckline plunged to right below your breasts. You immediately wondered if this attire was inappropriate for this type of party.

Stepping out of the bathroom, you heard Zora gasp.

“You HAVE to wear that, Nat!” She said, her eyes nearly as wide as her smile.

Your face burned, “You sure it isn’t too much?”

She shook her head, “Hell no! That is gorgeous! Girl, you will be turning some heads with that on!”

Your heart sank a little and you tried not to show it on your face. You wouldn’t admit it outloud, but there was only one person you wanted looking at you, and things were a little awkward with him at the moment. You and Sans hadn’t really spoken since you kissed him, and it was killing you. While you didn’t think he was upset with you, you knew what you did was wrong, even if he did reciprocate. If anyone found out, he could be in deep shit, and you didn’t want that.

But you couldn’t deny that you had feelings for him, feelings that you didn’t realize existed until you were both in that van. Sans was a good friend, he was easy to talk to and his mind and personality intrigued you. You had been surprised when he kissed back, but it was obvious now that there was chemistry between the two of you… though you wish you knew where to go from there.

“You have to let me do your makeup!” Zora said excitedly, “Please!”

Deciding to push the nervousness aside, if just for a little while, you smiled at her.

“Sure.”

 

* * *

 

The Luau was held beachside. Long, covered tables were set out, one for dining, and the other for all the delicious looking food that had been prepared. There was a stage set up, surrounded by tiki torches, and a big open area that you presumed would be for dancing.

Quite a few pairs of eyes caught sight of you as you and Zora showed up. Your immediate reaction was to stare at the ground as if it were the most interesting thing there.

“About time you two got here.” Ormarr said, approaching the you, “You both look very nice! Elegant, even!”

“Oh shush, you.” Zora said, rolling her eyes, “Looks like you cleaned up alright too.”

You looked up at Ormarr. They were wearing a sleek button-down shirt paired with some slacks. The yellow-green color of the shirt nearly matched Zora’s skirt so well you wondered if they’d planned it.

“And Natasha,” They said, turning toward you, “That red looks wonderful on you! I’m so glad Zora talked you into wearing that dress.”

You cut your eyes at Zora, “Did you tell Ormarr about the dress??”

Zora smiled and shrugged, “I mean, who knows? They might have just came into the room while you were gone and went through your clothes!”

You looked at Ormarr, who did their best impression of an innocent person.

“I’m not gonna say I didn’t do that… but you have no proof.” They said.

You shook your head, laughing quietly at how absurd those two were. 

“Well, changing the subject,” Ormarr turned, sweeping an arm out toward the tables, “Have you ever seen such a magnificent display! There’s going to be plenty of food for everyone to go back for seconds!”

“Maybe even thirds!” Zora chimed in.

“And there’s going to be entertainment as well.” They continued, “Dancing, singing… something about fire tricks was said?”

“That sounds neat!” You said.

“It sure does.” Zora agreed, grabbing your arm, “But first, let’s grab something to eat!”

 

The three of you piled your plates high, practically drooling as you sat down at the dining table. You glanced around, most of the group was already there, everyone except...

Zora tapped your shoulder and leaned in to whisper, “Looking for someone?”

You straightened up, focusing back on your food, “No. Just seeing if everyone was here.”

Zora and Ormarr both smirked, but stayed silent as they went back to eating. You felt a little embarrassed. If they were able to notice, was everyone else?

Dinner went from enjoyable to aggravating as Dr. Pense got up to make a speech. At first, it was nice… well, as nice as he could make it. He thanked everyone for their hard work (and then proceeded to gloat about his own accomplishments.) and went over what the entertainment for the night would be. Everything was fine until someone asked where “the other professor.” was. Pense’s face contorted in disgust and you were pretty sure he muttered something about the ‘lazy skeleton.’ He told everyone that he was late (‘as always’) and that he’d show up eventually. You bit the inside of your cheek, this guy made your skin crawl.

The night dragged on. Once everyone had at least eaten one plate, the entertainers came out onto the stage. You, Zora, and Ormarr stood nearby and watched in amazement as the group of people began playing music and dancing. There were a couple that were juggling flaming batons, which made you a little nervous, but when they started grabbing people to join in on the dancing, you decided that was enough. Getting up in front of everyone in that dress was the last thing you wanted to do.

You slipped out of the crowd and walked down to the shore. You took your shoes off and stepped into the soft sand, loving the way it was still slightly warm from the sun, but cool enough to dig your feet into.

You began walking down the beach, inching closer to the ocean as you went, shivering slightly when the chilled water lapped at your ankles. You anxiety began to fade as you got further away from the party. The music and laughing grew quiet and you listened closely to the calming sound of the waves.

You stopped and looked out to sea. The moon was bright, and stars filled the sky. You felt slightly sad, knowing that you would be leaving this beautiful place tomorrow.

“hey…”

You had heard someone approaching, and you smiled when Sans decided to speak up.

“Hey.” You said, looking over at him, “I didn’t see you at the party.”

He looked tired, his hands were shoved into the pockets of his hoodie and he didn’t exactly meet your gaze.

“heh, i overslept.” He said, “just got here. i saw you walking off and i… wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“I’m ok.” You told him, “It was just a little too much. I thought it’d be nice to take a walk along the shore.”

Sans stepped closer and the two of you stood side by side, looking out at the water.

“it is nice.” He said, “i’d rather have this than a loud party any day.”

“Same.” You said.

There was a few minutes of silence where the only sounds were of the ocean and breathing. You noticed his breaths sounded… strained, and you wondered if he had really overslept, or if something else was going on.

Without thinking, your hand found his and your fingers tangled together. He breathing eased a bit at that, it seemed.

“We can’t do this.” He spoke softly after a moment.

“I know.” You replied, “but… we’re here, right?”

Another bout of silence, and you thought you might have said something wrong until he squeezed your hand.

“yeah.”

You smiled and stared up at the moon, taking it all in, and choosing to only focus on the present for just a little while.

“Yeah…”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm starting to wonder if I reaaaally want to write smut for this story. I know it's in the tags, I originally planned for it, but I'm kind of... dreading, I guess, writing smut again. Idk, a lot of things are changing, and the way I look at my writing is one of them. I'm still on the fence about it, because I'm sure a lot of people would love it, but it isn't really needed for the story purposes, it would just be a little added bonus. Let me know what you think in the comments please!!


	28. Stone Cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all. I'm having some pretty bad mood swings today, but I finished this chapter!  
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

The last night in Hawaii was bittersweet. While you’d had a good time once you rejoined the party, you were a little down that you would be leaving the next morning. You were also unsure of where you and Sans would be once you got back. Certainly he still wanted to be friends, though it would be tough to get over the feelings you had for one another. But if it kept him out of trouble, it was well worth it.

The flight back was quiet, many of the students hadn’t gotten much sleep and were napping on the plane. Sans was a few rows up from you and you caught him looking back at you a couple of times. You smiled at him and relaxed back in your seat, dozing on and off the rest of the way home.

Once the plane landed and everyone got their luggage, there was one final meeting with the group. The professors said a few words, thanking everybody for their hard work. You said goodbye to Zora and Ormarr, and soon all of the students had went their separate ways.

You pulled out your phone and turned it on to see if Frisk was there yet, and you were bombarded with missed calls and text messages. You frowned, many of the texts seemed urgent, asking were you were and if Sans was with you and why you weren’t messaging back.

“everything ok?” Sans asked, walking over to you, luggage in tow.

“Frisk has been trying to reach me.” You said, “I had my phone cut off to save battery… Did they message you?”

“my phone died on the way here.” He said, “spent too much time playing games on it.”

You pressed call on Frisk’s number and put the phone up to your ear. It only rang once before they answered.

“Nat! Oh god, please tell me you’re at baggage claim.” They said quickly.

“Yeah, me and Sans are here.” You said, “Is everything ok?”

“No. We’re pulling up to the curb now, which section are you at?”

You looked up at the nearest set of doors, “3. Frisk, what is going on?”

“Come outside, I’ll explain in the car.” They said before hanging up.

“something wrong?” Sans asked, looking just as confused as you felt.

“I’m not sure.” You told him. “Frisk sounded a bit panicky. Told me to go out this door and meet them at the car.”

“welp, let’s go then.” Sans said.

The two of you grabbed your bags and hurried out the door. Just as you stepped outside, you saw Toriel’s car pull up to the curb. Frisk jumped out and ran over. Their eyes were wide, as though they had been scared by something.

Sans was the first to speak, “frisk, what’s wrong?”

They opened their mouth a couple of times to speak, but hesitated.

“It’s… It’s Grillby. He-”

Just as soon as Frisk said Grillby’s name, Sans vanished in a flash of blue, leaving his bag on the sidewalk.

“I figured he would do that.” Frisk said as they grabbed Sans’ luggage, “Come on, mom will drive us over there.”

“Did something happen?” You asked as you loaded your bags into the car as fast as you could.

“He’s fading quickly.” They said.

Both of you climbed into the car and fastened your seat belts.

“Hello, Natasha.” Toriel spoke softly, “I’m sorry that you’ve come back to this. I hope your trip went well.”

“It did, thank you.” You replied before looking back over at Frisk, “Did something cause it? When did you find out?”

“Feurig called around an hour ago.” They said, “His health had been declining faster than before and… I just don’t think he can hold out anymore.”

You were deeply saddened. You didn’t know Grillby, but your friends loved him very much. This was going to be extremely hard on them, and you weren’t sure what to do to help out.

“I’m sorry.” You said.

Frisk gave a small smile and reached a hand back, squeezing your knee in a friendly gesture.

“You’re a good person, Nat.”

They sighed and returned the hand to their lap, “I’m mostly worried about Sans… Grillby is one of his closest friends, they go way back.”

“He will be alright, child.” Toriel said, reaching over to rub her large, furry hand over Frisk’s head, “It will just take time. We have to remind him that we are here for him, no matter what.”

The rest of the car ride was filled with an awful silence. When Toriel parked at Grillby’s, you got out of the car to find the closed sign on the door.

“It’s probably not locked.” Frisk said, “They knew we were coming.”

Frisk pushed the door open and held it until you and Tori stepped in before closing and locking it behind them. They started toward the back room and motioned for you to follow. In the back there was a set of stairs leading up to an apartment where Grillby and Feurig lived.

Upon entering the apartment you saw a few familiar faces, Asgore, Papyrus, and Mettaton were all seated around the living room looking understandably upset.

Papyrus was the first to do or say anything. He stood and rushed over to Frisk, picking them up and burying his face against them.

“FRISK THIS IS TERRIBLE!” He sobbed, “WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?!”

Frisk patted his back, “I know, Paps. We just have to stick close to one another, and uh… looks like you got that covered.”

Papyrus let out a small laugh before continuing to cry, “YOU SPEND TOO MUCH TIME WITH MY BROTHER.”

He set Frisk back on their feet before moving on to Toriel. Mettaton sat up straight and held out a hand to Frisk, who took it in their’s.

“We rushed over as soon as we got your message.” He said.

“Have you been back there?” They asked.

“Yes. We’ve all went back and…” He pondered his next words, “said our goodbyes.”

“I’m guessing Sans is in there now.” They said.

Mettaton nodded, “He teleported in here and ran into the bedroom before any of us could speak to him.”

You were suddenly picked up in a hug and splattered with tears from Papyrus.

“IT’S SO NICE OF YOU TO BE HERE, NATASHA.” He said.

“It’s not a problem.” You told him, “I want to be here to help any way I can.”

His grip on you tightened and he cried a little harder, “YOU ARE ONE OF THE KINDEST HUMANS I HAVE EVER KNOWN!”

Once Papyrus set you down, you looked over to Asgore, who held little expression in his face and was staring at the floor, lost in thought.

“I’m going to go in for a moment.” Tori announced before walking out of the room.

You sat down on a couch next to Papyrus and watched as Frisk went to speak with Asgore. They laid a hand gently on his shoulder, but he didn’t move at all.

“Are you ok?” They asked.

Asgore sighed softly before bringing a hand up to cover Frisk’s, “It is difficult.”

“I know.” was all Frisk could say.

Minutes passed before Tori came back, wiping tears from her eyes. 

“Do you want to go see him?” Frisk asked you.

You thought on it. You weren’t very comfortable with dealing with death, and you already felt like you were sort of in the way, though none of them had said anything to really make you think that.

You shook your head, “I appreciate it, but I think it’s best I stay out here.”

Frisk’s face showed they understood. “Alright. I’ll be back shortly.”

Time passed slowly. It was mostly quiet, with little moments here and there when someone would ask a random question about someone else’s day, or make some sort of comment on the weather, or clothes… whatever it took for them to feel normal, you guessed.

You began to hear Feurig crying loudly from the bedroom and everyone lifted their heads to glance toward it. Tori and Asgore stood up and looked at one another before heading down the hall. Papyrus squeezed your hand tightly, and surprisingly, Mettaton took your other one.

Too many emotions flooded your mind. You were sad for the loss of a good person, but you kept feeling like you shouldn’t be there. You were just an outsider to the group, right?

That thought was pushed down as Papyrus leaned onto you and let you know that he was glad you were there for all of them.

Frisk walked into the room, holding Feurig by the hand. She sniffed and tried to give everyone a warm smile.

“I want to th-thank you all for coming by.” She said, her voice shaking. “My father is… gone… now. But I know he was filled with love in his last m-moments.”

Slowly, each monster stood to comfort her. You got to your feet and she caught your eye and reached out toward you. You took her hand, feeling the warm flames flicker against your skin.

“I’m so sorry, Feurig.” You told her.

She gave a small nod, “Thank you. It means a lot that you are here.”

After squeezing your hand one more time she turned her attention to Asgore. Frisk slipped out of the small crowd and took you off to the side.

“I don’t know if he really wants to talk to anyone,” They said, “but Sans is still in there if you want to see him.”

“I don’t want to intrude.” You whispered.

“You’re not.” They said, “It’s that room there, just lightly tap on the door before going in.”

You walked down the hall to the room and saw that the door to the bedroom was open slightly. You raised your hand and have a few taps, which were met with silence. You slowly pushed the door open further and looked inside.

Sans was sitting in a chair staring at what looked like an urn on the bed. He didn’t move or say anything as you stepped in.

“Sans.” You spoke quietly, “I’m sorry.”

He still didn’t speak. His eyes were dark as he continued to look at the urn.

“Is there… anything I can do to help?” You asked, unsure of what else to say.

He closed his eyes and let out a breath, “no.”

Your skin crawled at the tone in his voice. It was hollow and cold.

He stood, shoving his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.

“the whole time we were in hawaii, having fun, fooling around… my friend was here dying.” He said, “i should have been here with him. i knew he didn’t have much time left. Instead, I was with you.”

You flinched slightly as he turned his head to look at you, his eye sockets completely void of light.

“so no. there’s nothing you can do to help.”

He vanished into thin air once again, leaving you standing alone, speechless and confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On a random note, singing is one way I try to relieve tension and express myself, and I posted a clip of me singing to my Tumblr. I used to have a Youtube channel where I sang, but I got really nervous so I deleted it after a while. This is the first time I've posted something like that in a while, so if you'd go check it out I'd appreciate it. <3  
> https://fitofpaige17.tumblr.com
> 
> Also feel free to yell at me on my Tumblr or in the comments here if you feel so inclined. Love you all <3


	29. Between a Rock and a Hard Place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little shorter than usual, but I think I ended it at a good spot.  
> I want to thank everyone who commented on that author's note I made. Your support means the world to me and your comments are one of the only things that keeps me writing.  
> I'm gonna put another little note at the bottom of the chapter so I don't clog up the space here.  
> Hope you Enjoy!  
> -Paige

“I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by it.” Frisk told you as you were unpacking your bags at home, “He just lost one of his closest friends and he isn’t thinking straight. He just needs time.”

“I know.” You said, “I just… I feel really bad.”

“Why? It’s not like you did anything wrong.”

You bit your lip. You had only told Frisk what Sans said to you before he left, not what had happened between the both of you.

“Did you?” They asked, noticing your hesitation to say anything.

“Well, uh, we might have.”

Frisk jumped up from their spot on your bed, “Nat, what did you do?!”

“We might have kissed.” You said, sounding way too uncomfortable.

Frisk stared at you, mouth agape, eyes wide. You were about to ask what their deal was until they suddenly darted out of the room.

“FLOWEY!!!!” They yelled, “YOU OWE ME 20 DOLLARS!”

You cocked an eyebrow and followed Frisk to their room where Flowey was digging around in his pot with a scowl on his face.

“Did you… did you make a bet on if I would kiss Sans or not?!” You asked in disbelief.

“Of course we did!” Frisk said, unashamed.

Flowey grumbled as he pulled a $20 out with one of his tiny vines and handed it to Frisk.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t be stupid enough to kiss that bag of bones.” He muttered.

“I, I don’t- why?” You sputtered.

Frisk pocketed the money and turned to you, “Nat, it’s obvious there’s been something between the two of you for a while now. Honestly, I wasn’t too excited about it at first, but it’s really kind of cute.”

You ignored the sudden burning of your face, “We just kissed! There’s nothing between us!” You sighed, “not anymore anyway.”

Frisk shook their head and patted your arm, “It’s a difficult time right now, Sans will come around.”

“Well, it’s not just that. We can’t be together.” You said.

“Why not?”

You looked at them in slight confusion, you figured they’d know exactly why.

“Because he’s my professor.”

“So?”

You narrowed your eyes at them, “What do you mean ‘so?’ If anyone at the university figured out we were in a relationship, we could both be in major trouble.”

They shrugged, “Then don’t get caught.”

Astonished, you glanced over at Flowey, who looked unamused as always.

“They’re not wrong.” He said.

You turned back to Frisk, attempting to mouth words when they started laughing.

“Oh Nat, the look on your face!” They giggled, “I’m kidding… well, sort of. Seriously though, why don’t you just wait until you’re out of his class?”

“Hmm. I guess you have a point.” You pondered before groaning and slapping a hand over your face, “Who am I kidding. He isn’t going to want to be with me!”

“What are you talking about?” Frisk asked, “You’re great! Anyone would be lucky to be with you!”

You shook your head, “It’s just too complicated. He’s way too important and busy, and besides, he’s so much older than me.”

Flowey snorted at the ‘important and busy’ bit, Frisk shot him a look before grabbing your shoulders and steering you out of the room.

“Now you hold on just a minute, Natasha.” Frisk said, their voice taking on a serious tone, “Sans is no more important than you are, so you need to get that idea out of your head right now. And about the age thing, monsters and humans age differently, that’s not too big of a deal.”

“I don’t know about that.” You said, turning back to them, “Also, how long to monsters usually live?”

“Depends on the monster and how they live.” They said, “Of course, right now with everything that’s been going on, it’s kind of up in the air.”

You frowned, your mind going back to something Sans had said about the source of their magic growing weaker.

“Frisk, what  _ has _ been going on?”

They sighed, raking a hand through their hair, “We don’t really know, but Alphys is working on it, and Asgore has been overseeing everything.”

You watched as they rubbed their face aggressively before letting out a breath and putting on a smile.

“So they should have it figured out before long! Everything will be fine!”

You didn’t share their obviously forced positivity, but before you could say anything, they were grabbing your arm and pulling you back into your room.

“Now, you have to tell me all about what happened between you and Sans on that trip!” 

 

* * *

 

Sans laid on his bed up in the loft of his home, staring through the windowed ceiling as the sun was setting. After everyone had left Grillby’s, he had gone back to check on Feurig. They both knew it was only a matter of time, but it sure didn’t make losing Grillby any easier. He focused the pain of losing his best friend on Feurig, making sure she knew he was there if she needed anything. She has reminded him several times before finally making him go home that she appreciated it, but she needed some time alone. He reluctantly left, but not without her quietly scolding him for disappearing like he did. He couldn’t help but smile a little at that, her father would have done the same thing.

“I don’t know what’s going on between the two of you.” She had said, “But you can’t just run away from your problems forever.”

He didn’t have anything to say to that, she was right. It was a bad habit he had, when things got tough, he could just teleport anywhere else. Confrontation wasn’t his strong suit and he’d been doing that ever since he could remember.

He groaned as he rolled over and shut his eyes. How was he going to face this?  He had had relationships with humans before, but never one of his students. How did this happen?

_ i should have never went to that party. _ he thought,  _ i kept telling them i didn’t want to get close, but nooo. _

Sans also had a bad habit of blaming others for mistakes he made. He knew this was nobody’s fault but his, which made him feel horrible about what he’d said to Natasha at Grillby’s. He’d basically implied that his death was somehow her fault, that if it weren’t for her, he would’ve been able to say goodbye sooner.

His gut turned and he frowned, he had decided to spend time with her, he had taken her to the observatory. He might not have kissed her first, but he reciprocated… and it wasn’t as though the thought of it hadn’t already crossed his mind.

He could have called to check on Grillby, he could have flown back early if they needed him. This was his own fault, Natasha had nothing to do with it. In fact, she was there for him and his friends as they grieved, even though she didn’t have to be.

_ i need to call her _

He pushed that thought from his head and turned in his bed again. Every part of him screamed ‘no’ at that idea. If he called, it would bring those feelings back, it would make it even more difficult to just go back to her being his student. He had to delete her number, he had to ignore every desire he had to spend time with her, the only reaction he should have with her would be answering her questions at school.

It was going to be painful, but he couldn’t let feelings like that put him in a position where he could lose his job. He wouldn’t let that happen.

Sans reached and grabbed his phone. He jumped slightly as it began to vibrate in his hand. He brought the screen to his face and saw Asgore’s name. He really didn’t want to talk to anyone, but figured it was probably something important for the old king to be calling this late.

He answered the call and put the phone to his skull.

“‘sup?”

“Sans, are you able to come to Alphys’ lab?” Asgore asked.

Sans pushed himself into a sitting position, “now? what’s going on?”

“We think we’ve made a breakthrough in our research, and we have a proposition for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've been reading this story since it started, you know that I used to write this story with 2 other people. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I am writing alone again. I want to make a disclaimer that there probably won't be as much geology talk in the story, because that's not my forte. I like focusing on dialogue and emotions, so if some of the science in this is fudged and replaced with 'magic' I apologize in advance. I'm doing my best :)  
> It's been a hard couple of months, but I'm getting back into writing, and honestly, it feels freeing. Sometimes painful situations can really help you see what changes would be best for your life. I've learned that I'm not the best at group projects, and I'm best at writing on my own... hell, not even just writing, I'm really learning about myself now and I'm working on bettering myself and loving myself more, which is something I recommend everyone to do.
> 
> Life won't always be fair, and there will be a multitude of situations that you can't control. It's hard to let go, but you have to. You have to let go of the anger, the love, the hatred, whatever it is. It's ok to not be ok, but just know that even on the days you cry, you're still getting stronger. Take it day by day, you'll be alright.
> 
> Oki doke, now that is out, I just want to tell everyone thank you, once again, for being here! I want to get back into the fandom and talk with everyone and be social and all that good shit, so be sure to follow my new Tumblr (FitofPaige17.Tumblr.com) and I'll follow you back! I'm gonna make this one bigger and better than the last!! :D


	30. It's a Hard Rock Life for Us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I hope you've had an amazing week! I'm going to do my best to keep updating as much as I can. I'm shooting for once a week!  
> Though Mass Effect: Andromeda is coming out near the end of the month... I should probably prewrite some chapters for when I'm completely engulfed in that game.  
> Enjoy!!  
> -Paige

After years of being pushed through the foster care system and not really having any sense of privacy, you got really good at hiding things. That came in handy during times when you really needed to keep a straight face even though you wanted to scream… like in your geophysics class with the professor you kissed a week ago.

Neither of you had spoken to one another since Grillby’s death. Frisk told you not to worry too much, but lately even they didn’t seem to believe their words. You had expected Sans to at least message you, maybe apologize for what he had said to you before, but that hadn’t happened. You were beginning to wonder if the friendship with him was one-sided all along.

In class, last name basis was normal, but you couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable when he called you ‘Ms. Clayborne’ the first day back. You pretended as though it was nothing out of the ordinary, answering his question as usual and calling him ‘Dr. Spaghetti’ when addressing him. He seemed to be well versed in the whole ‘pretend like nothing's wrong’ situation as well.

After class, you gathered your things and shuffled rather quickly from the room, hoping no one noticed… Apparently you didn’t do a very good job, since you felt a tap on your shoulder not even five feet down the hallway. You spun around and saw Minty, the plant monster that sat a few tables behind you. You hadn’t spoken to her much, but she seemed very polite and knowledgeable.

“Um… I’m sorry if this seems a little strange, Natasha.” She spoke, her tiny voice not really matching her large mouth, “I couldn’t help but notice that you seemed a little on edge. I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

You gave a small smile, “I appreciate it, but I’m okay. Just a little stressed lately, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

She didn’t seem convinced. She frowned and brought one of her long, winding vines up to rest on your shoulder.

“I don’t mean to pry, and I don’t want to worry you. I can just tell that something is troubling you… I can see it in your soul.”

You frowned, “My soul?... Can all monsters see souls?”

“To an extent.” She said, “I can sense the mood of yours, sort of like an aura I guess. You seem upset, but your are very good at hiding it on the outside.”

You weren’t really sure what to say to that, and a part of you wanted to get out of this conversation as fast as possible.

Minty patted your shoulder one last time before pulling the vine back, “I don’t mean to upset you, I just wanted to let you know that I am here if you need to talk to someone. Whatever you may be going through, it won’t last forever. Circumstances change constantly, things will get better.”

Still uncomfortable, you forced another smile and nodded, “Thanks, Minty. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I hope you have a wonderful rest of the day.” She said, her beady eyes crinkling as she grinned.

“Same to you.” You told her.

You felt more than just her gaze still on you as you turned and walked away. A shiver ran up your spine. Paranoia, maybe?

You wasted no time getting to your truck and heading home.

 

* * *

 

_ Intense feelings of regret and doubt engulfed them. They felt as though they were drowning in it. Absolutely suffocating. In the thick of it, they could make out certain words. _

_ ‘why him?’ _

_ ‘why now?’ _

_ ‘i shouldn’t have let myself get this close.’ _

_ ‘i should have called and apologized.’ _

_ ‘i shouldn’t let this get to me.’ _

_ ‘i need to let her go.’ _

_ ‘i can’t let her go.’ _

_ ‘why is this happening?’ _

_ ‘why. why. why. why. why. Wh-’ _

“FOR THE LOVE OF FUCK, DUDE!” Frisk shouted themselves awake, sitting straight up in bed.

“What the hell is it now?!” Flowey snarled, glaring at them from atop the nightstand.

Frisk groaned and rubbed at their eyes, “It’s Sans.”

“Again with that trash bag?!” Flowey said, “This is the third time this week!”

“I know!” Frisk said, “And he won’t talk to me about it at all! Anytime I call, he changes the subject or ignores it altogether!”

A soft knock sounded on the door. “Frisk, is everything ok?” Natasha asked from the other side.

Frisk and Flowey shared a look. Natasha didn’t know anything about the shared dreams, and Frisk usually did a good job of keeping quiet. They had told her that they sometimes talked in their sleep, but they probably overdid it by yelling this time.

“Yeah, I’m alright!” They said.

“Can I come in?” She asked.

Flowey let out an aggravated noise and Frisk rolled their eyes at him.

“Sure thing, Nat!”

The door opened slowly and Natasha yawned as she stepped into the room. She wore an adorable pair of pajama pants with penguins on them along with a simple white shirt. Her usual bouncy curls were tucked away in a satin sleep cap to protect them from breakage as she slept. 

“Did you have a bad dream or something?” She asked, squinting at Frisk, likely because she had left her glasses in her room and they looked a bit blurry to her.

“Ehh, sorta.” Frisk said.

Natasha blinked, looking slightly suspicious, “Have you been having them a lot recently?”

Flowey scoffed, “What are you now, a shrink?”

“Flowey!” Frisk scolded before patting an empty spot on the bed, welcoming Nat to sit down.

“I didn’t want to intrude.” She said, sitting down, “I’ve just heard you some nights. I thought it might just be you talking in your sleep, but you’ve sounded a bit angry recently… are you sure you’re okay?”

Frisk situated themselves back against the headboard, “Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that? I mean, with everything that’s happened-”

Natasha shut them up with a look, “Frisk, don’t try to change the subject to me, we both know that isn’t going to work.”

_ ‘Well, it was worth a shot.’ _ they thought.

Frisk sighed, “Fine… I do have nightmares from time to time.”

“Is that normal?” She asked, “Like, do you usually have them every now and then, or do you think there’s something causing it?”

Flowey groaned once again, “I don’t think Frisk ever signed up for therapy.”

Frisk pushed themselves from the bed, “Excuse me for just a second.”

They scooped up Flowey a little more roughly than they should have and took him out of the room and into the kitchen, where they set him on the counter.

“Why are you being like this?!” They asked in an angry whisper.

“For one, I was sleeping very well! Two, you are about to make a damn fool out of yourself in there!” He said.

Frisk crossed their arms, “How so?”

Flowey’s mouth hung open, “Seriously?! You’re in there considering telling her everything! I can see it on your stupid face!”

“So what if I told her!” They said, “I trust her! She is the only person out there that wouldn’t think less of me!”

Flowey let out a laugh, “Yeah, you say that now. But once you tell her, I guarantee she’s going to tell the others.”

“Oh fuck off, you know that’s not true.”

“Why is it that you trust her?” Flowey said, his voice taking on a darker tone, “This girl that you only met a few months ago. What makes her so special?”

Frisk’s brow furrowed, “I don’t know, she’s just… a good friend.”

“AM I NOT?!”

Frisk took a step back, it’d been a while since they’d seen Flowey have such an outburst.

“What are you talking about? You know all about my secrets.”

“Not because you told me!” He said, “If we hadn’t been through it all together, you wouldn’t have confided in me at all!”

“That’s not true!” Frisk said, trying to keep their voice down.

“Oh really? Is that why you never came back for me?” He wore a sickening grin on his face, “Is that way you left me down there to rot, and the only reason I’m up here is because Asgore came to get me after you told them who I really was??”

Frisk grimaced, they had no excuse for that. They regretted it, but they had done exactly what he said. Most people believed that they were the one who brought Flowey to the surface, but they weren’t.

Flowey turned from them, waving them off with one of his vines. “Go on, go tell her. But don’t come crying to me when she ruins everything.”

Frisk didn’t know what to say… Flowey couldn’t feel hurt, but it sure sounded like he did.

“Azzy…”

“Don’t.” Flowey hissed, “Just. Go.”

Frisk let out a sigh and headed back to their bedroom, where Natasha was still sitting patiently on the bed.

“Sorry about that.” They said, “You know how Flowey is.”

She looked concerned, “I know I asked already, but are you sure everything is alright?”

Frisk sat down next to her, “Well, it might not be right now… but it will be eventually.”

“Do you want to talk about anything?”

They thought a moment, fighting with themselves inside over whether or not telling her would be the right decision.

“I… maybe a little.”

  
  



	31. Stony Disposition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I keep on like this, I might be able to get out a chapter weekly!... except I might not be able to next week. I'll be flying to GA for a few days to visit family. After that I'll do my very best though!!
> 
> If you don't follow me on tumblr, do so @fitofpaige17  
> :D Enjoy!!  
> -Paige

You woke up a little later than normal since class had been canceled for the day. Blinking a few times, you let your eyes become adjusted to the sun shining onto your bed through the window.

As you laid there, taking the time to let your body wake, you recalled the events of the night before. Frisk had let you in on a pretty big secret of theirs, something you never would have guessed about them… but didn’t seem all that surprising since magic was an actual thing when it came to monsters, and Frisk had lived with them most of their life.

Apparently something had happened with Frisk and Sans when they were underground. Frisk didn’t go into detail, they had clearly seemed uncomfortable talking about it, but they did say it had something to do with ‘determination,’ which was what their soul was made up of.

They told you that it wasn’t always easy for them and Sans, they didn’t always get along, and that lead to some bad decisions on both their parts.

_ “You see, to monsters, determination isn’t just a word like it is to us. It’s not just a character trait.”  _ They had told you. _ “In a place where the mere intent to hurt someone could end up killing a monster, determination can be a very dangerous substance.” _

You remember them being very careful about their words as they tried to explain. There were clearly things they were holding back, and though you were curious, you didn’t want to pry. It was hard for them to only tell you as much as they had.

_ “Sans… he got himself into a bit of trouble. He started doing things he shouldn’t have been doing, trying to stop something that he couldn’t…” _ They said,  _ “I’m sorry it’s so vague, it’s just that, well… he doesn’t remember.” _

You had been taken aback, how could he not remember?

_ “Somehow, through determination alone, our memories were connected. But there was a side effect with Sans, and he doesn’t remember everything. I don’t think his body could handle the amount of determination he’d taken in.” _

It was all extremely confusing, but you comforted Frisk. They’d freaked out for a moment, begging you not to tell a single soul about it. You’d promised, of course. You had no intention of hurting your friend or getting them into any trouble. 

They assured you that they were going to tell him… eventually. You tried to hide your doubts on that. They hadn’t told him already, with so many years having passed, why would they tell him now? As far as Sans knew, it was just some freak magical mishap that occurred when the barrier broke. Frisk said that he’d tried for years now to figure it out, but could never get any answers.

What they told you had explained the cause of their aggravating dreams… but they didn’t mention anything about what Flowey had said in the kitchen beforehand. You’d heard yelling, and you were concerned, though you knew Flowey was a very angry monster most of the time, he and Frisk usually got along ok. Perhaps it had been about the dream Frisk had been having? 

Or maybe it was just you…

Forcing yourself out of bed, you took a few minutes to stretch your tired limbs, brush your teeth, and make your hair look decent. You decided it wasn’t worth the effort to take off your pajamas, so you headed to the kitchen to make some breakfast.

You weren’t all that surprised to find Frisk already awake. They looked tired as they sipped on a giant mug of coffee. 

“Hey.” You said, “Did you ever fall back asleep last night?”

“I dozed off a few times.” They set their mug down, “It didn’t really help.”

Your brows furrowed in worry, if they still couldn’t sleep because of Sans’ dreams then something must really be bothering him. 

“Nat,” Frisk started, sounding serious, “Do you have to go anywhere today?”

“No, my only class was canceled. Why?”

“Can I borrow your truck?” They asked.

You grabbed the half-full coffee pot and poured some into a clean mug, “Of course. Going anywhere in particular? Just curious.”

“You could probably guess.” They said, showing a hint of a smile.

“Sans?”

They nodded and downed the rest of their coffee. “I know he’s going through a lot, I’m gonna see if I can get him to at least talk to me.”

“That’d probably be good for him.” You said, “You sure he won’t just teleport away though?”

Frisk let out a small laugh, “Don’t worry, I won’t let him.”

You looked at them with raised eyebrows, “Can you stop him?”

“As long as I can grab him before he does it, yeah… Just gotta be quick about it.”

“Hm.” was all you said to that.

They pushed themselves from the counter and put their mug in the sink.

“Is it ok if I take the truck now?” 

“Go for it.” You said, “Keys are on the coffee table.”

“Thanks, dude. I owe you one.” They said, walking out of the kitchen.

“No problem… Oh, hold up!”

They turned back to you, “Yeah?”

“Is Flowey ok?” You asked.

They frowned slightly, “He’s probably fine. He didn’t really talk to me after we argued last night. He’s probably awake now if you want to try talking to him.”

“I might.” You said, “Thanks.”

“Mm hmm.” They started walking off, “Thanks again.”

You couldn’t help but be even more concerned as Frisk left. They certainly didn’t seem like their usual bubbly self this morning. The lack of sleep was most likely the cause, but you couldn’t help but feel like it wasn’t the only reason. Their whole vibe seemed rather emotionless and numb, and it made your skin crawl.

Internally wishing them luck, you grabbed a smaller mug from the cabinet and poured some coffee in it before making your way to Frisk’s room.

 

* * *

 

Frisk pulled into Sans driveway, mentally preparing themselves for a confrontation.

_ You could just dust him. _

Frisk sighed, “No.”

_ It would put an end to all of this. You’d get more sleep and you wouldn’t have to worry about him finding out your secret. _

“I don’t kill monsters.”

_ Anymore. _

They groaned and rubbed their temples.

“I’m going to go in there and just talk to him, if I have to, I’ll stop him from running away.”

_ Better not grab him too hard if you don’t want to kill him. Hehe. _

“Can you just shut up?” They asked in an aggravated tone.

Another laugh and the voice went quiet. Frisk took a deep breath and let it out slowly before getting out of the truck. They had no way of knowing if Sans was actually home since he could teleport, but seeing his trike in the yard made them hopeful.

They stepped onto the porch, knocked on the door, and waited. They swore they heard a noise from inside and after a few moments the front door opened.

Sans stood there in a baggy gray shirt and plaid pajama pants that Frisk remembered giving to him as a Christmas gift a couple of years ago. He wasn’t wearing anything on his bony feet and he looked incredibly tired.

“hey.” He said drowsily. 

“Hey… Dr. Vermicelli.” Frisk said warmly.

He forced a laugh, “heh. what are ya here for, kid?”

“I was wondering if we could sit and chat.” They said.

Sans hesitated, “uh, i don’t know if now is such a good time.”

“Oh, are you busy?”

“err... yeah.”

Frisk knew he wasn’t, “Are you grading papers? Starting a new project? Anything I can help with?”

The two of them had played this game before. Frisk was strong in confrontational situations, where Sans usually backed out pretty quickly. He hated being stuck in uncomfortable scenarios, especially the ones where he was causing the issue.

Sans sighed and stepped back.

“it can wait. come on in.”

They stepped inside and closed the door behind them. Sans started toward the kitchen and Frisk followed.

“want any coffee?” He asked.

“I had some before coming over. Thank you though.” They said.

Frisk leaned back against one of the counters while Sans poured himself some coffee. 

“so, what’d you wanna chat about?”

“Well,” They thought out loud, “We can start with last night.”

Sans was silent.

“Those definitely weren’t my own dreams. Did you want to talk about anything?”

“not really.” He said.

“You sure?” Frisk asked, trying not to sound too annoyed, “It seems like something’s really bothering you.”

“well my best friend just died, so there’s that.” He said, clenching his jaw.

“Something other than that.”

Sans set his mug down a little harder than expected, “pretty sure that’s the biggest problem right now, Frisk.”

Frisk crossed their arms, “Sans, I know this is difficult, but you need to face the other issues you’re having too.”

Sans whipped his head around to glare at them, “have you always been this insensitive?”

Defensiveness was Sans’ real game. He never wanted to take the blame, but Frisk was taking into consideration everything he’d been through the past few weeks, so they couldn’t be too mad.

“I don’t mean forget about Grillby or anything.” They said in a calmer voice, “I just think it’d be best to talk this out, ya know?”

Sans groaned, “i’m fine, Frisk, really.”

Frisk stepped over to him and put an arm around his shoulders, “Buddy, you know that’s not true.”

They tried not to laugh when he muttered under his breath. Frisk really only ever laid a hand on him for 2 reasons: hugs and to keep him from teleporting. Thank you, determination.

“it’s just been a rough time… all this.” He said.

“Yeah, it has.” They said, “That doesn’t mean you should take it out on your friends though.”

“ok,  _ toriel _ .” Sans said.

Frisk rolled their eyes, “Seriously though, you need to talk to her.”

“i’d rather not.”

“So what, you’re just never going to talk to Nat again?” They asked.

Sans let out a sigh and gently removed Frisk’s arm from his shoulders, “it’s not that i don’t want to talk to her. it’s just that i shouldn’t.”

“Why not?”

“probably the whole student and teacher stuff that could, i don’t know, ruin both our careers?” 

Frisk shook their head, “I’m not saying kiss her again, I’m just saying you should apologize for being an ass.”

“yeah, i probably shou- wait.” He met their eyes, “you know that i kissed her?”

“Of course. Did you expect Nat to not tell me?” Frisk stifled a laugh at the panicked look on his face, “Don’t worry, dude. I’m not telling anyone, promise.”

“you better not.” he said.

“Well… I won’t IF you apologize.” They smiled, “Today.”

Sans’ eye sockets narrowed.

“fine.”


	32. He Lavas Me, He Lavas Me Not

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, it's been a bit! It's been a busy past month, and it's just going to get busier as my husband and I get ready to move across the country, but I am determined to finish this story... eventually!  
> I've fallen off the fandom wagon somewhat. I'm definitely not as obsessed with Undertale as much as I was and I've found different things I want to pour my time and energy into, but I can't let go of this story. Pretty much everything up to the end is planned out now and I just gotta get it down!  
> Thank you for being patient with me, and thank you for still reading! I truly appreciate it!  
> Enjoy!  
> -Paigey

You sat in Frisk’s room, where you’d been trying to get Flowey to talk to you. He answered any questions you had with an occasional grunt, but the two of you mostly just sat in silence sipping your mugs of coffee.

“Why are you still in here?” Flowey grumbled after a while.

“Because I want you to talk to me.” You told him.

His signature frown only seemed to deepen, “But why?”

“Well,” You sat your mug on the night stand, “You seemed a little upset last night and I want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’m fine.” He muttered.

“I don’t think you are.” You said.

He scowled and cut his eyes at you, “Why do you care?”

“We’re friends, aren’t we?” You asked, “Friends care about one another and talk things through, especially in difficult times.”

A surprisingly sadistic grin came over Flowey’s face, he turned to face you fully and a cold chill ran through you.

“Friends? You think we’re  _ friends _ ?!” He laughed, “I don’t have friends! People only care when it’s convenient for them, once they get bored, they toss you aside and leave you to rot!”

Your brows furrowed in concern, “That’s not true, Flowey. Not everyone is like that.”

“Tell me, do you know what it’s like for everyone you’ve ever known to stop talking to you all at once?” He asked, “Do you know how it feels to be tossed aside and forgotten, almost like you never existed at all?”

You thought a moment and started to answer, but were interrupted before you could get a word out.

“Because I don’t.” He said, his face emotionless now. “It’s happened to me. I should be sad, I should feel hurt… but I just feel nothing.”

You stood and stepped over to where Flowey sat on top of Frisk’s dresser. 

“Are you sure about that?” You asked in a gentle tone, “Because you look sad and hurt right now.”

He turned from you, “I’m not unaware of what the feelings are and how they work, I just… they’re not there!”

He covered his face with his vines and let out a string of curses under his breath. You felt compelled to lay a hand on him for support, but you resisted. If Flowey didn’t want to talk to you, he certainly wouldn’t be okay with you touching him. 

“Even if you can’t feel emotions,” You started, “I don’t think that makes you bad, and that doesn’t make it right for anyone to treat you the way you’ve been treated.”

“Before, I might have believed that.” He said before snapping his head around to face you again, “But you don’t know what I’ve done. You don’t know what I’m capable of!”

“Flowey, you can’t be all that terrible.” You said.

You jumped back a step as Flowey suddenly seemed to grow before your eyes, his face contorting into something of a nightmarish grin. He towered over you, laughing maniacally.

“You IDIOT!” He screeched, “You are no different from everyone else! You pretend to be my friend, but given the chance you would throw me out of this house, wouldn’t you?!”

“N-no.” You said, standing your ground although your heart was beating loudly in your ears, “I wouldn’t! I want to be your friend, Flowey. I don’t think you’re a bad monster.”

Another laugh escaped him, “Me? Not a bad monster? That is the most hilarious thing I’ve heard since I got to the surface.”

The vines seemed to keep growing from his flower pot and you became increasingly worried. Still, you kept your feet firmly planted where you stood.

“You have no fucking idea!” He hissed.

You were shocked as one of the vines grabbed your arm, tightly winding around it until you could feel tiny thorns piercing the skin. You winced, but continued to look at him.

“Flowey, I don’t know what you’re trying to prove, but this isn’t the way to go about it.” You grit your teeth as the vine squeezed harder, “Stop this nonsense! We can talk things out.”

He cackled, towering over you. You were beginning to lose sensation in your fingers.

“Talking to you is the LAST thing I-”

“that’s enough of that.” A familiar voice spoke from the doorway.

In a flash of blue, Flowey was lifted and tossed from the room. You heard Frisk squeal as he hit the wall. You turned to see Sans standing there, his eye sockets void of light.  

“Sans?” You heard yourself say.

He blinked and his eyes were back to normal. His gaze met yours and he stepped closer.

“are you okay?” He asked.

“Y-yeah.” You said, your voice a little shaky. 

He held out a hand toward your arm, “may i?”

You nodded and held your arm out, noticing the red marks that spiraled around it and the spots of broken skin that dotted them. One of Sans’ hands rested beneath your elbow while the other examined the marks. You involuntarily sucked in a breath as you began to feel the pain as the adrenaline began to wear off.

“sorry.” He said, “can you sit down for a minute?”

“Uh, sure.” You said, stepping over to the bed. You sat on the edge with Sans sitting beside you.

He still held your arm, looking to be deep in thought. You could hear Flowey and Frisk shouting at each other in the living room and you jumped a little as the bedroom door was magically slammed shut.

“sorry.” He said again.

“It’s fine.” You told him, “I was just surprised.”

“not just that, i…” He let out a sigh and laid his free hand on top of your arm, “try to relax.”

You did your best to not tense up as a tingling sensation danced over your skin. Sans focused his eyes on your arm, his hand surrounded in a greenish glow. The pain began to fade and a warm, calm feeling replaced it.

“this shouldn’t have happened.” Sans said.

You look toward the door, “I was just trying to talk to him, I don’t know what I said to make him that angry.”

“you probably didn’t say anything. he’s always been like that.” He said, “there’s no talking to the weed.”

You frowned, “He can be nice sometimes.”

“tolerable sometimes, maybe.” He said with a voice of amusement, “but nice? that’s hilarious.”

Your forehead wrinkled as you glared at him, “He’s not that bad.”

Sans’ eyes shot up to yours, “he just attacked you… and you’re defending him?”

“I know he’s got some issues, and he’s difficult to get along with, but there has to be some good in him.”

He sighed and shook his head, “i’ll believe it when i see it.”

As the glow faded, you saw that your arm had been mostly healed. All that was left of the struggle were a few light scratches.

“You didn’t have to do that.” You told him, “I know… what you said about the magic fading. This can’t be good for you.”

“yeah, well, if i hadn’t been such an ass this wouldn’t have happened.”

“What are you talking about?” You asked, “This had nothing to do with you.”

He held his gaze on the hand that still lingered on your arm, “if i had just talked to you to begin with, frisk wouldn’t have left you here alone with him.”

You shook your head, “That doesn’t make any sense, Sans. This could have happened at any time, whether Frisk was here or not.”

“still doesn’t make me feel any better.” He said, looking to you once more, “i’m sorry about all this. what i said to you at grillby’s, refusing to talk to you… as if you weren’t my friend anymore.”

You couldn’t help but smile a little at him still calling you his friend, but that smile soon faded as he groaned and pulled away from your arm, resting his skull in his hands.

“Are you okay?” You asked, gently laying a hand on his shoulder.

“just tired.” He said, “it’ll be fine after i nap later.”

“You should’ve just let my arm heal on its own.” you told him, “Not that I’m not thankful, but you shouldn’t waste your energy on me.”

“i didn’t waste it. you feel better don’t you?”

“Yes, but-”

“then that’s what matters.”

You weren’t sure what else to say, you appreciated him helping you, but at the cost of what little magic he had left? You couldn’t say you agreed with him there.

“forget about that right now.” He said, “we need to talk about us.”

“Us?”

He looked to you, a browbone raised, “are we just gonna pretend like we didn’t kiss?”

You let out a nervous chuckle, feeling your face warm slightly, “Oh, yeah, that.”

“look, i’m not gonna lie and say there wasn’t something there. but we both know this can’t continue.”

“I know. We talked about that already.” You said, “You’re a teacher and I’m a student, I’m aware of how that could mess with both of our careers.”

“not only that.” He said, “but i’m also a lot older than you.”

You laughed, “I’m still an adult, what does that have to do with anything?”

“well, if we can get this whole magic bullshit fixed, that likely means i’m going to outlive you.” He said.

“So?”

“so i’d rather you not waste your life on me.” he said, sounding more serious than before.

“I don’t think it’d be a waste…” You said quietly.

You caught just a tinge of blue on his face before he turned it from you.

“not the point.” He said, “we know this would be wrong, the price is too high. i don’t want people thinking that i’m playing favorites or that i’m taking advantage of you.”

“I know that.” You said, “I understand.”

Sans sighed after a moment and turned back to you. Sitting up a little straighter, he held a hand out to you.

“you still okay with friends, though?” He asked.

You smiled again and took his hand, “Friends sounds good.”

You did your best to ignore the obvious butterflies in your stomach as neither of you let go. You knew this was for the best, and you were happy that you would still be friends with Sans, but…

Flushing blue again, Sans quickly broke the hold and stood from the bed, walking toward the door.

“welp, i guess i better go have a word with the weed.” He said, trying to shift his voice into something a little more professional.

You watched him walk out the door, realizing this was going to be harder than you thought. 


	33. Not All it's Cracked Up to Be

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so remember when I said I was abandoning this fic? haaaa, well, I started a Stardew Valley fic (it's Beer Battered Chicken, check it out!) and while writing the second chapter I had an overwhelming urge to work on THIAS. I wrote a new chapter in a little over an hour, like wtf happened XD
> 
> Hopefully this motivation to write will continue and I can finish the fic!! Wish me luck, and make sure to comment, I love getting feedback! <3  
> Enjoy!!  
> -Paige

You hadn’t seen Flowey since the incident, and that had been a week ago. He mostly stayed in Frisk’s room, though they had been trying to convince him to come out… with no luck. You told Frisk that it was alright, he just needed a little more time. They weren’t having it though. On more than one occasion you had seen them huffing and puffing outside their bedroom door, looking ready to scream as though they were a toddler about to throw a tantrum.

Other than that, it seemed like everything else had gone back to normal, or at least as normal as it could. You felt a lot more comfortable in class since you and Sans had talked. The first day back, you noticed him glancing at your arm as you left the room. You gave him a smile that you hoped got the message across that you were doing alright. A few days later, he’d sent you a text asking if you’d had any more trouble with Flowey. He really did seem to feel as though the whole situation was his fault, though you assured him that it wasn’t. 

A few days later, as you arrived home from class, you swore you heard sniffling coming from Frisk’s room. You knocked softly on the door and called their name.

“LEAVE US ALONE!!” You heard Flowey scream.

“Shutup Flowey!” Frisk yelled.

You stepped back as the bedroom door swung open, revealing Frisk. Their hair wasn’t put up as per usual and hung down over their shoulders in a tangled mess. Their eyes were puffy and tear tracks stained their face.

“Frisk, what’s wrong? Did something happen?” You asked.

“Yeah,” They said, sounding angry, “A long time ago.”

“What do you mean?” 

“FRISK, DON’T YO-” Flowey started before Frisk slammed the door shut behind them, muffling his voice.

They sighed, “Can we talk? In your room?”

“Yeah, of course.” You said, heading toward your bedroom.

The two of you walked in, you tossed your bag to the side and sat on the edge of your bed. You motioned for Frisk to sit but they decided to pace instead, their hands running through their hair, only messing it up further.

“Start from the beginning.” You said calmly, “Tell me what happened?”

“I don’t know how much longer I can deal with this.” Frisk said, a slight panic in their voice. “I’ve been keeping a secret, from everyone, for over 15 years.”

“Okay… Why have you been keeping this secret?” You asked.

Their breathing became uneven as they tried not to cry again.

“It’s… If I told anyone, they would hate me.” They said, “Only Flowey knows.”

You frowned, “Frisk, I’m sure nobody would hate you. All your friends care about you.”

“No, Nat, you don’t understand!” Frisk stopped in front of you, “I’m not who you think I am, who anyone thinks I am!”

“I don’t follow.” You said, “What is it that you’re hiding?”

They sniffed, a tear streamed down their right cheek.

“Flowey doesn’t want me to tell you… He doesn’t trust you, and everything up here is… permanent.”

You were still so very confused, but you could understand Flowey not trusting others.

“You don’t have to tell me, Frisk.” You told them, “But if you decided to, I wouldn’t tell a soul. I swear on my life.”

They looked at you, a tiny smile on their face.

“I know.” They said, “You aren’t the type of person to betray your friends, you’re not… you’re not like me.”

Unsure of what to say to that, you kept silent as they finally decided to sit beside you. They pulled their hair over one shoulder and ran their hands through it in an attempt to straighten out the knots, and just to give their anxious hands something to do.

“I don’t think I can tell you everything.” They said, “Not right now anyway. It’s just so much, and it could really hurt some people if I told them.”

“I understand.” You said.

“So, I was underground for a long time with the monsters. They came to be the only family I’d ever cared for. But… Natasha, I have a lot of hate and anger in my soul. Things didn’t stay good for long.”

Their voice quivered and you placed a hand on their shoulder in support.

“I did a lot of bad things, hurt a lot of good monsters. The worst part is, they don’t even know.”

“How so?” 

They sighed, resting their forehead in their hands and slumping forward.

“Underground there was a strong magic that was accessible only to those with a strong enough soul. Human souls are much stronger than monsters, and once I got down there I was able to tap into that power.” They said, “At first I used to help, but it wasn’t long before I realized I could use it for different purposes, to gain power for myself.”

They went quiet for a moment, obviously thinking hard about how much they could tell you. You sat patiently, rubbing their shoulder and upper back. You were there for them, no matter what they confessed.

“A lot of things happened, so many I can’t say. I thought them not being able to remember would help, but now it seems like Sans is having memories pop up, terrible memories that I’ve never wanted him to see.”

“That’s the dreams you had told me about, right?” You asked.

They nodded, “You see, that ‘something’ I told you about that he was trying to stop, it was me. Because of me, he attempted to inject as much determination as he could handle to overpower me.”

A sob wracked through them and you squeezed their arm, telling them that it was alright.

“You don’t understand, Natasha, that isn’t even the worst part!” They cried, “He doesn’t even know it was me! It’s fucked up! I caused my friends so much pain, I permanently altered their lives, I corrupted others! I’m a monster in the worst sense of the word!”

“Frisk, I don’t understand everything you’re telling me, but I’ve lived with you for a while now and I know you are a good person. You’re kind, loving, joyful, all of those good traits. We all make mistakes-”

“I killed innocents!” Frisk wailed, “I killed them, and their families, and then I reset everything!!”

Your brows furrowed, “Is that the magic you had?”

They nodded, “It was a sick, sick game… I wish I’d never played it.”

You scooted closer to them and pulled them into a hug, letting them cry into your shoulder.

“Listen to me. That guilt you have and the fact that you are telling me this shows that you aren’t as terrible as you think you are.” You told them, “The past is the past, what matters is that you fixed it the way you knew how. I’m sure Sans would forgive you if-”

“Nonono, you don’t understand.” They pulled back, looking you in the eyes, “He would  _ kill _ me!”

“Come on, Frisk, he wouldn’t kill you.”

“You don’t know that Sans I do, Nat. You don’t know what he is capable of.”

“Well tell me.” You said.

They looked away, “He’s really strong, stronger than any monster I know, despite his lack of health points. He’s extremely smart and cunning and… deadly.”

That didn’t sound at all like the Sans you knew. The one you hung out with was smart, sure, but he was kind and thoughtful, despite being a little grumpy at times. You could never imagine him killing someone.

“But the two of you are best friends.” You reminded them, “He cares a lot about you, he wouldn’t want to hurt you.”

“If I told him who I am, what I did, he would.” 

You knew there was no use attempting to push them into telling him. Instead you hugged them again, a little tighter.

“I’m really thankful that you trusted me enough to tell me this. I’m sure it was difficult.”

“It gets worse, but I said what I could.” They said, “Just, please don’t tell anyone.”

“I swear on my life.” You pulled back and faced them, “I understand now why you hadn’t told Sans about the connected dreams.”

They nodded, “Yeah. Thanks, Nat. I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to me. It means a lot.”

You smiled, “I’ll always be here for you.”

They let out a small laugh and lightly punched your shoulder, “Stop it, I’ve cried enough.”

The two of you stood up and headed out of your bedroom.

“So, is it alright if I try to talk to Flowey?” You asked.

“You can try.” They said, “But I don’t know how well it’s gonna work. Maybe I should try to talk to him first, let him know what I told you.”

You nodded, “Alright, I’m gonna go grab a snack from the kitchen. Want anything?”

“Are there any more chocolates?” They asked.

“I think so, I’ll check for ya.” You said.

They smiled, “Thanks Nat, you’re the best.”

With that, you watched Frisk go back into their room and waited to hear the imminent screams of Flowey’s anger.


	34. Get Your Rocks Off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little shorter than usual, but I really wanted to get it out :) I hope you like it!  
> Enjoy!!  
> -Paige

_ “miss clayborne, can I see you for a moment?” _

_ Sans saw Natasha stop in her tracks and step out of the way of the other students leaving the classroom.  _

_ “Yes sir?” She spoke, walking over to his desk. _

_ “grab a chair, please.” He said. _

_ Nat scooted a chair close to him and sat down. As the last student left the room, he used his magic to shut and lock the door. _

_ She seemed a little surprised, looking toward the door and then back at him in confusion. _

_ “What did you need me for?” She asked. _

_ Sans looked up at her, her dark eyes wide behind her thick-framed glasses. Her hair was styled differently today, where she usually had it pulled back, it was in tight ringlets, framing her face. _

_ “I had a question to ask you.” He said, his voice sounding more timid than he meant for it to. _

_ “Are you okay, Sans?” She asked, knowing full well that she should not be calling him by his first name on school grounds, even if they were in a room by themselves. _

_ “I-i’m…”  _

_ It was suddenly very hard for him to breathe, and his vision completely focused on her alone. _

_ Nat stood up slowly and moved closer to him. _

_ “Sans, what’s wrong?” _

_ Sans found himself jumping from his chair and practically throwing himself over his desk to get to her. His hands made contact with her body, his mouth moving on her’s feverishly. _

_ She gasped and his soul leapt as her arms wrapped around him. The wonderful scent of her skin was enticing and he couldn’t help but kiss his way across her jawline and down her neck. She let out a moan, one of her hands clenching the fabric of his shirt. _

_ “Are you sure about this?” She asked breathlessly. _

_ “i’m not sure about anything.” He mumbled against her skin, “except the fact that you are completely intoxicating and it’s become impossible to get you out of my head.” _

_ “I feel the same way about you.” She groaned as he nibbled on her collarbone. _

_ Unable to control himself, Sans pushed her, as gently as he could, down onto the top of his desk, not caring about the numerous papers he was knocking to the ground. _

_ “Sans, please.” She whispered. _

_ “what, baby?” He asked. _

_ “Please… M- _

~~~~

Sans nearly jumped out of bed, his alarm yanking him from his sleep. His soul thumped against the inside of his ribcage wildly and the glow of his magic seemed to be dancing on the walls of his bedroom.

“oh god.” He groaned, placing his face in his hands as realization hit him.

This was not supposed to happen, these feelings were supposed to be pushed way down deep, to the point of nonexistence. Apparently his subconscious didn’t get the memo.

Reaching for his phone, he turned the alarm off. He hoped that the dream wasn’t shown to Frisk. He didn’t know which would be more awkward, them knowing about it, or him having to face Nat in class today.

He calmed himself as best he could, bringing in any magic that had seeped from his soul.

“this will not be spoken of, it never happened.” He told himself, “it cannot happen. i will not put either of us in such a compromising situation.”

After a few more words of lackluster encouragement, Sans rolled out of bed, ready to face his day head on.

Starting with an ice-cold shower…

 

* * *

 

Frisk blinked their eyes open, feeling their face burning.

“What. The. Fuck?” 

Flowey pushed his sleep mask up so he could see.

“Another dream?”

“Yeah, but…” Frisk covered their eyes, “It wasn’t a usual dream.”

“What happened?” Flowey asked.

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” They told him.

Flowey looked at Frisk in confusion.

“Why not?”

The image of Frisk’s two best friends making out on Sans’ desk haunted the back of their eyelids.

“Ehhh, I don’t know if you need to know.”

Flowey huffed, “Fine.”

Frisk reached over to their nightstand and grabbed their phone, bring up Sans’ number and typing a message.

**Frisk [6:02 AM]:**

**I KNEW IT!**

They received a response almost immediately.

**Spaghettios [6:03 AM]:**

**frisk, dont you dare tell a soul about this**

Frisk smirked as they typed their next message.

**Frisk [6:03 AM]:**

**Wouldn’t** **_dream_ ** **of it. :)**

\---

The time for class was over and all of the students were heading out the door. You carefully placed your books and notes back in your bag and swung it over your shoulder. 

“miss clayborne, may i speak to you a moment?”

You stopped from walking out the door and turned back.

“Yes sir?” You spoke, approaching your professor’s desk.

Sans stopped whatever he was working on and glanced around the room, it was now only the two of you left.

“please, grab a seat.” He said.

You pulled over a nearby chair and sat down, a little nervous that you might have done something wrong. Was this a student-teacher meeting, or a talk between friends?

Sans rested his arms on the desk and looked at you. 

“do you remember me talking to you about the magic situation?” He asked.

“About it growing weaker?”

He nodded, “i don’t know if i told you, but alphys and a group of specialized scientists have been doing some research on the situation and… they’ve offered me a place on the team.”

You sat up a little straighter, “Really? That’s great!”

He smiled a little, “thanks, but i haven’t actually agreed to it yet.”

“What? Why not?!”

He began twiddling his thumbs, “there’s a few reasons, one of them being my job here, but that’s not why i called you over.”

You sat silent, waiting for him to continue. He looked a bit nervous, unable to really sit still. You wondered if there was something else going on that he wasn’t comfortable talking about.

“you see, the group is looking for more volunteers for the project, and with your knowledge of geophysics and interest in the field i was curious if you would be interested in joining the team.”

You blinked, staring at him. Did you just hear him correctly?

“you’re incredibly smart, and i have no doubt that you would pick up on the work very quickly. i know this isn’t exactly part of your plan for the future, but i think this would be a wonderful opportunity for you.”

You got the feeling that there was something else he wanted to say, but he just looked at you, waiting on an answer.

“Sa- I mean, Dr. Spaghetti, this is insane, I mean, I’m just a student.” You said.

“that may be so, but you’re smarter than most people in your position, you and i both know that.”

You felt a bit flustered at the compliment. “Let me think on it, this is a lot to take in.”

“of course, no rush. just let me know when you’ve reached a decision.” He said.

“Thank you, sir.” You said, “Is there anything else?”

“that’s all.”

You stood up and started toward the door.

“natasha.” 

You looked back, “Hmm?”

“everything ok at home?” Sans asked.

“Yeah, it’s good.” You said, “Thank you for asking.”

He smiled again, “good, im glad.”

You couldn’t keep the smile off your own face.

“I’ll see you later, Sans.”

He nodded and you went on your way, keeping your mind on the conversation you’d just had.


	35. Getting Sedimental

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY, UNDERTALE!!  
> I wasn't gonna gonna post this chapter today, but on this anniversary I just had to! This one is a good bit longer than the last!  
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

It’d been a few days since Sans asked you about the position on the team of scientists studying the magic depletion situation coming from the underground. You’d spoken with Frisk about it, who was very insistent that you take the offer…. In fact, they were so excited about it, it was a little concerning.

After thinking on it, and making a few lists on the pros and cons of each side, you finally reached a decision. Saturday morning you sent Sans a text letting him know that you were interested in learning more about the job. He responded, letting you know that he was catching up on some work at his office in the school and that, if you wanted to join him for lunch, he’d go over it with you. You had to read the last message a few times over, it seemed a little strange to you that Sans would be ok with meeting up in the school to talk about non-school things.

Unsure if you needed your books or not, you decided to take your school bag anyway. At least that way it looked like you were there to discuss education. You let Frisk know where you were going and you made your way to the school.

-

You knocked lightly on the door to Sans’ office and he called for you to enter. You walked in to see him sitting at his desk, eating a burger.

He motioned to the bag in front of him, “grabbed you something too, didn’t know if you had eaten already.”

“Oh, I hadn’t actually. Thank you.” You said, sitting your bag on the ground and reaching into the sack. You pulled out another burger, the smell of it was all too familiar, he’d went to Grillby’s.

“feurig cooks a good burger, but it’ll never be exactly the same as grillbz.” Sans said.

You took a seat in one of the nearby chairs, thinking of Grillby and the last time you’d seen him alive.

“How are you doing, Sans?” You asked softly, unsure if he’d want to answer.

You took a bite of your burger and looked on as he reclined in his chair and swiveled it to face you.

“i’m alright.” He said, “i really am. grillby wouldn’t want me to just mope around, i did enough of that in snowdin.”

“I’m sure he’d want you to be happy.” You told him.

“heh, yeah, he would.” He said.

“How’s Feurig?” You asked.

“she’s hanging in there, has a good support system with her.”

“That’s good.”

Sans downed the rest his burger and turned his full attention to you.

“so, you wanna know more about the volunteer job?”

You nodded and he smiled… man, he seemed to be in a really good mood today.

“i’m not sure of the exact details yet.” He said, “because it’s fairly new to me as well. what i do know, is that there are possibilities of different groups actually going back underground to conduct studies and, hopefully, find the source for all this chaos.”

“They haven’t done that already?”

He crossed his arms over his chest, “well, it’s complicated. they have sent people before, both monsters and humans, but different situations kept delaying their results. one group was attacked and fled, another got nearly to the core before their equipment pretty much exploded. There’s no telling what’s down there.”

“So what makes a new group so different? Wouldn’t they risk the same things happening to them?” You asked.

“the lead scientists are taking necessary precautions for the next group they choose. they want a particularly strong monster, one who knows the underground thoroughly.” He sighed, “they want me.”

“What?!” You sputtered, nearly spitting food everywhere, “Sans, that sounds pretty dangerous!”

“which is exactly why i haven’t fully agreed to it yet.”

Sans went silent, it was obvious that this was weighing on him.

“Is there something else?” You asked.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands.

“yeah, it’s... “ He let out a deep breath, “this whole epidemic with the magic getting weaker. more and more monsters are falling down, at a faster rate. not only that, but it’s beginning to affect younger monsters now.”

“How much younger?”

“a monster i went to grade school with, he was just hospitalized. his body is getting weaker. i’m definitely not what you’d consider ‘young’ but it’d been taking monsters a generation ahead of mine before now. it’s insane, i don’t how much longer we’re gonna last.”

You frowned, setting the remainder of your food back on the desk. You scooted your chair closer until you were directly in front of him. You knew in the back of your mind that you shouldn’t be putting yourselves in a position like this, but you placed your hand on his arm anyway.

“What can I do to help?” You asked him, “I can go with you underground if you need me to.”

“what?! no!” He blurted, immediately locking his eyes onto yours, “you need to be running tests in the lab, where you’re safe.”

“Sans, if you think you are going down there on your own you are crazy.” You said, beginning to feel frantic.

If it was so dangerous the last few groups of trained professionals couldn’t handle it, what made him believe he could go there on his own and be fine?

He shook his head, “i never said i was going alone.”

“Who would go with you?”

“i dunno yet.”

“Well that’s not reassuring.”

He rolled his eyes, “geez, you sound like frisk.”

“We’re both your friends, we just worry about you.” You told him.

“i know.” He said, “doesn’t help that im old as fucking dirt either.”

He looked down at his arm where your hand still lay. You knew you should move it, but you didn’t.

“That isn’t it at all, Sans. I know you’re strong and capable, I just don’t want you going down there alone… hell, even with another person.”

You wanted to add ‘not while i’m up here helplessly waiting around.’ but you felt like that’d be too sappy. You couldn’t deny the feelings you had for Sans, but this was still your teacher, no matter the fact that he was also your friend.

“I know you said you haven’t agreed to it yet.” You said, “But I know how important this is, and I know you would do anything for your friends and for monsterkind. I know you’re leaning more toward yes than no.”

“you’re not wrong.” He said, slowly moving his hand over yours, “but it’ll be fine. i have to do what i can to make sure everyone is alright.”

A few moments of silence passed as he held your hand, gently running his thumb along the top of it. His bones were, well, boney, but they were also warm and comforting.

“I understand.” You finally spoke, “But please, let me help any way I can.”

“Ok.” He said, his voice barely above a whisper.

You gave his hand a squeeze before pulling your own back, which took more strength than you thought it would.

“So, what else would I be doing there?” You asked, “And will this interfere with school?”

“this will be after your finals, so there will be no issues with your studies. as far as what you’ll be doing…”

Sans opened one of his desk drawers and pulled out a binder of papers.

“i know how much you like to read, so i decided to put all the details in here for you. don’t worry if you don’t understand some of the material, you’ll be going through training, and you won’t be doing anything so serious that we legally can’t have you do it, understand?”

“Yes sir.” You said, taking the binder. It was heartwarming that he took the time to put all this down on paper for you.

“any more questions?”

“Not that I can think of at the moment.” You told him.

“alright, well you got my number if any come to mind.” He said.

“Sounds good. Is that everything?”

Sans thought a moment “yeah, i believe it is.”

“Ok, I guess I better let you get back to work.” You said, scooting your chair back and standing, “Thank you again for doing all this for me, I really appreciate it.”

“it’s no problem at all.” He said, waving his hand around nonchalantly.

You lifted your bag to your shoulder and began to turn for the door when something brushed your arm.

“hey, hold up a sec.”

You looked at Sans, who had stood with you. His eyes looked at you very curiously.

“um, frisk hasn’t mentioned any weird dreams lately, have they?”

The thought that immediately entered your mind was the dreams that Frisk said the two of them shared, but he couldn’t always see. You certainly weren’t going to spill the beans on them, but you didn’t want to lie to Sans.

“They said they have weird dreams sometimes, like about the past.”

Sans looked relieved at your answer and his smile reappeared on his face.

“i was just curious. thanks.” He said.

You returned the grin, “Yep. See ya later, Sans!”

“stay safe.” was all he said as he sat back down at his desk.

Walking out of the room, you quietly shut the door behind you. There was a fluttering in your chest that you just knew was going to last the rest of the day.

Or it was, until you heard someone call your name. You looked to see where it came from, and saw a familiar monster coming toward you.

“Oh, Toriel!” You said, “It’s good to see you. How are you doing?”

She smiled at you, but her eyes darted between you and Sans’ office. You wondered what she was thinking.

“Hello, Natasha. I am doing well. Was just on the way to a fellow teacher’s office to deliver some supplies.” She said, “I’m surprised to find you here on a Saturday.”

You held the binder in front of you, “I just had to come by and pick up some papers from Dr. Spaghetti.”

Toriel’s gaze seemed to soften at your use of Sans’ professional name. She reached out and ruffled your bouncy hair gently.

“I see. Well, if you will excuse me, I must get these supplies delivered. Please tell Frisk to call me sometime.”

“Will do, Toriel. It’s good to see you!”

“You as well, my child!”

You let out a breath as she walked past, and you found yourself moving to your truck a little faster than usual.

 

* * *

 

“SO DID YOU MAKE OUT OR NO?”

You squealed and jumped a little at Frisk’s yelling as soon as you walked into the house.

“Frisk, no, what the hell?”

They laughed, leaning against the back of the sofa with a coffee mug in hand.

“I’m just messing with ya. So, how’d it go?” 

“It went well.” You said, “Though there’s definitely some stuff I wanna talk about with you. First though, I want you to know that Sans asked me if you’d told me about any weird dreams lately.”

At first Frisk looked horrified, they probably were having the same thoughts you’d had when asked. Then their face turned to that of thoughtfulness, and then they burst into more laughter.

“Oh my GOD!”

“What’s so funny?” You asked.

“You know, I wasn’t going to tell you about it.” They struggled to catch their breath, “But now I have to, and it’s ALL HIS FAULT!”

You were extremely confused as you watched them giggle so hard, tears were forming in their eyes.

“A few nights ago, he had a dream.” They told you, “And I saw it… I saw EVERYTHING!”

Frisk was in the floor now, wiping their eyes.

“It was very innocent at first. You and Sans were in the classroom and he was going to ask you something before you left. But then it took a completely different turn!”

“How so?”

They smiled mischievously, “Apparently, Sans subconscious is perverted as fuck, because soon y’all were all hands and tongues, laying on top of his desk!”

Your face went from flustered tingling to full blown embarrassment blushing, which only made Frisk’s laughter worse.

“No…” You said in disbelief. 

“YES! It was hilarious!” They said, “Sans puts on this whole facade of being so professional and having purely platonic feelings, but I guarantee you he is crushing hard.”

You slapped your hands over your face, “Oh my god, Frisk, nooo.”

“Frisk YES!” They yelled, pumping their fist into the air.

“Why would you tell me this? I have to see him in class and that’s gonna be all I’m gonna think about now!”

They raised an eyebrow, “Like you weren’t thinking about that anyway?”

Your face couldn’t possibly get any hotter.

“No! I think about school work when I’m in class!”

“And that’s all? You’re a terrible liar, Nat.” They said.

You rolled your eyes and made your way to the kitchen.

“Shut up, Frisk.”

Frisk chuckled and followed right behind you.

“I knew it!”


	36. Onyxpected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey! Told y'all I'd be updating! I am honestly really enjoying working on this fic again, and I am so happy that I didn't give up on it! So don't worry, even if I don't get to update every single week, I AM going to finish it!
> 
> Tumblr link at the bottom, be sure to drop in and send me a message or something! :D I usually follow people back, so if you wanna do that, feel free!
> 
> Enjoyyy!!  
> -Paige

Sans was on the verge of no longer giving a shit. Since Natasha had visited him, he’d been questioned by not only Toriel, but also Dr. Pense. Apparently they had both seen her leaving his office and had suspicions about it.

Pense he could understand, he’d had it out for Sans since the beginning all because he was a monster. Of course he’d grasp at anything he could that could possibly get him into trouble. But he was slightly confused with Tori. It felt almost as if she was jealous of Nat, which he really didn’t get. He and Tori were not in an actual relationship, so why would she act that way? He knew that she was worried about him getting himself, and Natasha, into trouble, but it seemed like so much more than that now.

He talked to Alphys a few days later, deciding to completely take the job that had been offered to him. She’d been relieved and excited to finally move forward with her plans. She wanted him to start immediately, but he had to remind her that he just didn’t have enough energy to tackle it head on while still teaching classes. She was a little disappointed, but understood.

That didn’t mean that he wouldn’t take some days to check in and see what was going on, though. He made it a point to swing by at least once a week and help with the planning of the future expedition. Alphys ran a few tests on him while Asgore filled him in on what info they’d gathered so far.

“so when do you think i’ll be going down there?” Sans asked at one point as they wrapped up work for the day, “and who will be joining me?”

Asgore set the paper he’d been looking over on the table next to him and met Sans’ eyes.

“That’s something I’ve been meaning to discuss with you, actually.” He said, “I know finals are coming up at the university here soon, and that you’ll probably have a little time before the next semester-”

“time that i usually spend lesson planning.” Sans cut in.

“Yes, well, if everything goes as planned, this trip shouldn’t take too long.” Asgore told him. “And as far as who will be accompanying you, it’s a bit complicated.”

“how so?” Sans asked.

“We haven’t asked anyone yet, because I’ve really only had one person in mind.” 

“and who is that?” Sans was beginning to get suspicious of the tone in Asgore’s voice, and began to mentally brace himself for the person he would suggest.

Asgore closed his eyes and took a breath, “I have been considering… Frisk.”

Sans couldn’t have prepared himself for that. He glared up at the monster king.

“have you even asked them about this?” He asked through gritted teeth.

“No, but I know that they would agree-”

“of course they would agree! frisk would agree to cutting off their own limbs if it meant helping someone else!” Sans spat.

Asgore was taken aback, “They obviously wouldn’t need to be cutting off any limbs, Sans”

“the point is that they shouldn’t be put in a position where choices like that should even be possible.” Sans said, “all frisk needs to be worrying about is school and a career.”

“You and I both know that isn’t how Frisk works.” Asgore spoke, his voice growing closer to that of a leader, “Why do you think Frisk walked through the underground without hurting anyone? Why do you think that they decided to become our ambassador once they helped us break the barrier? Frisk is more determined than anyone else to help, and they know the underground just as well as any of us.”

Sans was quiet, he knew Asgore was right. Frisk would want to do this. Not only that, but they were strong. Another monster would run a much higher risk of getting injured, and other humans wouldn’t have anywhere near as much knowledge of the underground as Frisk.

“Sans, please.” Asgore spoke a little more softly, “Talk to Frisk about this. I truly believe the two of you would be the best team.”

Sans let out a sigh, unable to shake the feeling of defeat.

“yeah, ok.”

Asgore opened his mouth to speak again when Sans’ phone began to ring. Sans pulled it from his pocket and wasn’t surprised to see his brother’s name light up on the screen. He held a finger up and answered the call, happy to not be continuing the current conversation.

“hey bro, whats up?”

“Sans, it’s Mettaton, are you able to stop by?”

He caught the worried tone in Mettaton’s voice immediately.

“what’s wrong?”

 

* * *

 

“Nat, you’ll be fine. Hell, I don’t even think you need to study. You’re super smart! You’ll pass the finals with no issues!”

You poured over your class notes, coffee in one hand, pen in the other. You heard Frisk, but didn’t really comprehend what they were saying. Your brain was too focused on studying, and you had to have all the knowledge stored neatly in your metaphorical memory files.

“NATASHA!!!”

A squeal slipped from your lips and you nearly spilled your coffee, which caused a burst of laughter from your roommate.

“What, Frisk?” You asked, eyes narrowed at them in warning.

They rolled their eyes at your attempt at intimidation and plopped down next to you on the couch.

“Dude, I understand the need to study, I really do. I’ve been reading over my notes all day. But you NEED to take a break.” They said.

You sighed and set your things down on the table, “Maybe you’re right, I should probably step back and clear my head of all this for a while.”

You glanced over to the stack of papers Sans’ had given you during your last visit.

“But there’s so much. Not just the finals I need to be studying.”

Frisk gave you a light pat on the back to draw your attention from the papers.

“C’mon, Nat. Let’s hang out, maybe watch some Netflix for an hour or two, then I promise I’ll let you get back to studying.”

You looked over all your notes and then back to Frisk, who’s brown eyes were pleading with you.

“Fine… But no more than two hours, okay?”

Frisk smiled and grabbed the tv remote.

“Of course!”

The two of you sat back on the couch and flipped through various shows before deciding on a comedy that appealed to both of you, but as the beginning scene started a loud crackling sound in the room made you jump.

“frisk.”

You and Frisk jumped up and spun around to see Sans. The lights that filled his eye sockets seemed wider than usual and the fearful expression on his face made your stomach twist into knots.

“What’s wrong?” Frisk asked, their voice dropping to a concerned tone.

“i need to talk with you.” He glanced at you apologetically, “alone, please.”

Frisk looked over at you and you nodded understandably. You watched the two of them disappear into Frisk’s room and you decided to turn your attention back to studying for the time being… though you couldn’t shake the look on Sans’ face from your mind.

 

* * *

 

Frisk turned to Sans after shutting the door to their room, a moment passed where they studied his face. He looked absolutely terrified, which in turn frightened Frisk.

“frisk, i’m going to cut right to the chase. i need you to go underground with me.” He blurted out.

Well that was certainly not what they were expecting.

“What do you mean?” They asked.

“I decided to help alphys’ group with figuring out the situation under ground, the whole deal about the magic depleting.” He said, “they want me to go down there and explore, but i can’t do it alone.”

“Why me?” They asked, their head spinning.

“because you’re strong, and know the area well.” He told them, “and i can trust you down there. i know it’s a lot to ask, but…”

Sans went silent, his eyes breaking from their’s. Frisk automatically reached out, placing their hands on his shoulders.

“Sans, you know I’ll go with you.” They said, “But something else is going on. Tell me.”

Sans sighed, “i got a call from metta earlier… it’s paps.”

Before Frisk could speak, a small voice spoke up from the other end of the room.

“What’s wrong with Papyrus?”

Sans heard Flowey, but didn’t acknowledge him. He kept his eyes to the ground as he spoke.

“i’m not sure. i know it has something to do with the magic issue but…” He took in a deep, breath. Doing his best to keep his cool. “it hadn’t bothered him before now, the waning of magic even seemed to calm him down. i don’t know what could have changed. Mettaton told me he’s laying up in bed, said it might just be a minor sickness, but he’s worried it’s something more, and wanted me to know.”

The room was silent, nobody was sure what to say. Papyrus was loved by everyone, humans and monsters alike. It was heartbreaking that so many monsters were passing away suddenly… but this hit harder than that. It didn’t help either that Papyrus was a lot younger than many of the monsters who had fallen already.

Frisk thought over what Sans was asking. There was no doubt in their mind that they would go with him, but the thought of going back down there scared them. Sans was their friend, and if he found out… if he only knew the the truth…

“Of course I’ll go.” They told him, “For Papyrus, for you, for all monsters.”

Sans let out a sigh of relief, “thank you.”

“But… I have one condition.” They said.

Sans’ eyes flashed up to to meet their’s.

“yeah?”

Frisk took a deep breath in and let it out before meeting his gaze again.

“Natasha has to go with us.”


	37. A Geologist Would Date Anything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I said I was gonna get the second chapter of my Stardew Valley fic out before finishing the next THIAS one.  
> Whoopsies.
> 
> Btw, comment your Tumblr below if you got one and I'll follow you! I'm trying to get more active on there like I used to me :)
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

“no!”

Sans said it so fast it surprised him a bit, and apparently Frisk as well, considering the deer-in-headlights look on their face.

“why would you even ask that?” He continued, “you know how dangerous this mission could be, she could get seriously hurt, this isn’t a game!”

Frisk flinched slightly and Sans immediately regretted the tone in his voice. Perhaps he was being a bit too harsh. 

It didn’t take long for them to stand tall again, their eyes boring into his. His regret vanished instantly.

“Natasha is one of the strongest humans I know!” They said.

“have you ever seen her fight?” He asked.

“Physically, no.” They said, “But I can see her soul. It’s strong, Sans. She can handle this.”

Sans shook his head, “i still don’t get why you’d even want her down there. her skills would be better suited for the lab.”

Frisk backed off a bit, their body language softening.

“I’d just… I think it needs to be more than just us. We need someone who can give us a different perspective on things, and she’s never been down there.”

“that doesn’t make any sense.” Sans said, “it sounds like you’re dancing around the truth.”

Frisk sighed, “I’d feel safer if she was with us, ok?”

Sans raised a brow bone, “safer? you don’t feel safe with me?”

“Oh, no, Sans, I didn’t, ugh.” 

Frisk stepped forward and placed their hands on Sans’ shoulders, looking directly into his eye sockets. A motion they did often when they were serious about something.

“Sans, there is no monster I feel safer around than you, believe me.” They said, “But please, I just think that things would be better with the three of us… don’t you think we’d make a good team?”

“of course we’d make a good team.” Sans said, “but i still don’t see a point in risking her safety for it.”

“Agh! Sans! She isn’t a child!” Frisk told him, “She doesn’t need to be protected all the time!”

Sans rolled his eyes, that argument sounded very familiar coming from them.

“i know frisk.”

“Then will you at least talk to her about it?” They asked, “It’d make me feel better.”

He let out a deep breath and closed his eyes, “i still don’t understand, but… fine, i will discuss it with her.”

Frisk smiled and threw their arms around him, having to bend down slightly to do so. Sans couldn’t help rolling his eyes again. The things he did for this kid.

“that doesn’t mean i’m agreeing to it.” He said, “but if it’s the only way you’ll go with me, i will consider it.”

“Good enough for me!” They said, jumping back out of the hug, “Ok, now you said Paps is sick. Is he at home?”

“yeah, he’s still been trying to get up and work as usual, but metta’s been doing a pretty good job of making him rest.”

“Good, but I know exactly what he needs.” 

Frisk scooped Flowey into their arms and opened their bedroom door.

“NATASHA, PUT DOWN THE BOOKS, WE’RE GOING ON A TRIP!”

 

* * *

 

**{Days Later}**

“You asked me to stop by?”

Sans nodded and motioned for you to come in the office. You shut the door behind you and walked over to his desk.

“How’s Papyrus?” You immediately asked.

“he’s alright. it might just be a cold or something after all.” He said, “at least, that’s what we’re hoping.”

“Good.” You said, “Are you feeling alright.”

Sans hummed, sitting back in his chair. “i’ve certainly been better. but that’s not important. what is important is what i called you in for.”

“Which is?” You asked, sitting in one of the nearby chairs.

“remember when you said for me to let you know if you can help out with the underground expedition?”

You nodded.

“well, there is a way you can help out. and, while i’m not too thrilled about it, frisk has asked this of me… more or less forced, really.”

You looked at him curiously, “What is it?”

“frisk thinks it may be in our best interests if the three of us go down there together.” He said, “they told me that you might be able to provide a different perspective on things since you’ve never been there, they also said they think your skills could help us get the job done faster.”

“And what do you think?” You blurted without thinking.

“huh?”

You asked again, “What do you think about it? You’ve only told me what Frisk has said.”

“well, i don’t like the idea of putting you at risk of getting injured.” he said firmly, “but i think you will be fine as long as you stick with me and frisk.”

“Do you also think I could help?”

“i, well, yeah.” He said, stumbling slightly over his words, “i definitely think we could use your brains down there.”

Your cheeks heated up and you smiled.

“I’ll do it.”

“are you certain?” He asked.

You nodded, “I want to help you.”

Sans sighed and stood from his desk, “ok, that’s settled… we’re leaving right after finals so we gotta get you prepared.”

You jumped to your feet, “Wait what?! IMMEDIATELY after finals?!”

He chuckled, “well, not like, right after you’ve turned it in. more like the next day.”

“Holy crap! What all do I have to do? How many bags should I take?”

“mis- natasha, calm down.” He stepped over, placing a hand on your arm. He seemed to be trying to hold back laughter at your freak out. “i’ll let you know. i’ll write out everything for you and give it to you in plenty of time to get it all together.”

You took a few deep breaths, “Okay, okay. It’ll be fine. I can get it all done.”

“i’m here to help you out, frisk too.” Sans said, “and if for any reason you feel like backing out, you can. don’t feel like you have to do this.”

You turned to face him, “I know, but I want to do this. I want to help, and I want to see the area the monsters used to live as well.”

“heh, well it probably isn’t anything spectacular now, not that it ever really was.” He said.

“I’m sure I’ll love it.” You told him, “Will we be going to the town you used to live in… Snowdin, was it?”

He nodded, “we’ll most likely be going through there.”

“I can’t wait to see it!” You said, “I know you said that it’s probably not the same, but I’m genuinely excited to go.”

“i was afraid you’d say that.” He said, “not that i don’t want you to come with us, it’s just that we’re not exactly sure what’s down there now, especially with the magic being so unstable.”

“I know, but I’m not afraid.” You smiled, “I’ll have you there with me.”

The tops of Sans’ cheekbones flushed blue and you found yourself wanting to kiss them just to see if they would darken further.

“i know, but…”

His eyes caught yours and held them, the expression on his face showed concern for you. His hand moved from your arm to the side of your face, where his fingertips gently brushed a loose curl away from your face.

“promise me you’ll be careful. you need to stay with either me or frisk at all times, ok?”

You moved your hand up to meet his and held it, looping your fingers with his.

“I promise. Don’t worry.”

There was a few seconds of silence that seemed like hours. Your heart thumped hard in your chest and you wanted nothing more than to hold onto this skeleton monster. The way he looked at you, you knew he had to feel the same way.

“nat, i care about you a lot.” He spoke in a whisper, “probably more than i should, but you’re my friend… you’re…”

You became aware of just how close his face was to yours, had he stood on something to get to your height? Why did your skin tingle like it did when he’d healed your arm before? Your eyelids grew heavy as he drew you in.

Your soft lips touched bone, a static feeling buzzed against them and you wondered if that was his way of kissing back since he didn’t have lips of his own. You felt his hand in your hair and you gently ran your own along the top of his skull, which was mostly smooth with some textured areas that you couldn’t help but pay special attention to.

It was a shame that the moment couldn’t last forever, it was over all too soon. When your eyes met again, the lights in Sans’ eye sockets seemed to shine brighter. 

He swallowed and spoke, “i’ll uh… give you that list later, yeah?”

“Yeah.” You said, barely hearing your own voice, “Sounds good.”

The two of you separated, feeling awkward, yet satisfied… mostly. You slung your bag over your shoulder and looked at him again.

You could have jumped him there, made the dream he’d had a reality if he wanted. Instead, you simply nodded and walked out of the room before you did something to further complicate the relationship with your professor.


	38. Tectonic Relationships

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is about 500 words shorter than my usual ones, but I really like it the way it is. I hope y'all enjoy it! The next one should be longer! :D
> 
> Please leave a comment below if you're still enjoying this story! I really like to look back through comments when the depressive episodes pop up out of nowhere :) I appreciate all of you so much!
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

**Frisk [5:35 AM]:**

Ya know, I miss the good old days when your dreams were filled with fearful things and not my two best friends getting it on.

**SpaghettiO’s [5:35 AM]:**

not like i can control these things

**Frisk [5:36 AM]:**

Get all those thoughts out of your head before you go to sleep. 

**SpaghettiO’s [5:36 AM]:**

and just how am i supposed to do that

**Frisk [5:37 AM]:**

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

**SpaghettiO’s [5:37 AM]:**

why are you like this

anyway, speaking of those good old days, we ever gonna talk about those dreams?

**[5:43 AM]:**

cmon frisk

talk to me

seriously

**Frisk [5:50 AM]:**

One day. I promise.

 

_ Are you sure about that? _

Frisk grumbled and tossed their phone onto the bed. 

“Eventually I will.” They said quietly.

_ Why? So he can hate you? You really want to lose your best friend? _

Frisk rolled their eyes, they heard this whole spiel so many times, they didn’t want to even bother responding now.

_ And that’s the real reason you want natasha to go with you underground, yeah? You’re afraid that he’ll find out and you don’t want to be alone with him when he does. _

“I’m not afraid of Sans.” They spoke calmly.

_ I guess not, considering how many times you’ve killed him. _

“That was you.”

_ HA! It’s funny how you pretend that you’re innocent in all this, when you were the one who started it all. _

Frisk hung their head, running their hands through their hair in frustration.

_ From the very beginning it was you. Never forget that. _

“Stop!” Frisk said loudly.

Flowey pulled up his sleeping mask and looked over at Frisk from the night stand.

“The usual?” He asked.

“Of course.”

“They do have a point, though I hate to admit it.” He said.

Frisk didn’t say anything, just leaned over and pulled the flower monster from the table and into bed with them.

“The hell you think you’re doing?” 

“I know they’re right.” Frisk said, snuggling back under the covers, “I just don’t know how to fix it.”

“You can’t.” Flowey said, “No reset button up here.”

Frisk sighed and wrapped their arms around the flower pot.

“Even if there was, I wouldn’t use it.”

“Sure you would.” He said.

Frisk didn’t answer, only snuggled as close to Flowey as they could.

“Azzy, do you miss the way things used to be underground?” They asked.

Flowey huffed and pulled their mask back down.

“Shut up and go back to sleep.”

 

* * *

 

Classes were done for the day and Sans was eager to get to Alphys’ lab to do more work on preparations for the trip. He only needed to stop by his office and then he could-

“Ah, there you are, Sans.”

Sans scowled and turned around to face his fellow professor, Dr. Pense.

“need something, don?” He asked.

“Oh no, the only thing I need is for you to step into your office with me for a moment.”

Sans didn’t like the smirk on his face. He silently led him down the hall and brought them into his office.

“what is it?” Sans asked, shutting the door behind them and turning toward Pense.

“I’m afraid I have some bad news for you,” He said, not seeming sorry at all, “You see, I reviewed some footage from our security cameras the other day and found something very peculiar.”

Sans’ browbone raised, “and?”

“Well, it seems I’ve found some very interesting stuff, that I happen to have here on this flash drive, if you’d like to see it.” He pulled the drive from his pocket, “Of course, I’m sure you already know what’s on here.”

Sans stood confused, he’d scrambled the camera in his office with his magic weeks ago, and what could he have possib-

His eyes widened. It had to be footage of him and Nat on there.

“when did you bug my office, pense?” 

“When did you start having romantic relationships with students, Sans?” Pense shot back.

Sans was stunned, how had he not seen this coming?

“you’ve been looking for a way to get me out since i got here.” He said.

“It’s complete bullshit how you freaks came out here and just began taking our jobs like it was nothing. You should have stayed down there where you belong.”

Sans’ hands balled into fists, his jaw clenched tighter than ever. He knew it’d come to this at some point.

“I’ll have you kicked out of here in no time, and make sure no other University will hire you” Pense smiled, “And as for your girlfriend, well, monster-sympathizers deserve to have their careers ruined.”

Sans kept quiet as Pense continued to gloat in front of him.

“So, what’re you going to do,  _ Dr. Spaghetti. _ ” Pense asked.

“just one thing.”

Sans wasted no time using his magic to pull the flash drive from Pense’s hand and crushing it in his own, rendering it useless. The fear in the older man’s eyes was unmistakeable, and Sans smiled, taking a step forward.

“get the fuck outta my office, pal.”

“I-I, I’ll still get you fired, you know!” Pense said, attempting to stand up tall, “I can just get that footage again, put it on a different drive!”

Sans took another step.

“whatever you do to me is none of my concern.” He said, “but if you mess with Natasha, things aren’t going to go so well for you.”

“Is th-that a threat?”

Sans surrounded him with magic, lifting him only a few inches from the ground, but it was enough to have him whimpering. Without another word, he opened the door and tossed him out into the hallway, shutting and locking the door immediately after.

“stupid. idiot.” Sans muttered, nearly collapsing from his sudden use of power, “how could i have been so careless. i could have cost her everything.”

He walked to his desk and looked around the room. He’d been teaching there for a long time. He cared for each his students, but it was time for a change.

He pulled his phone from his pocket and clicked on Alphys’ name. 

“Hello?” She answered in the first ring.

“hey, alphys, remember when i told you i can only be there part time?”

“Yeah.”

Sans began pulling items from his shelves.

“do me a favor and change that to full.”


	39. of Quartz this Happened

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That moment when you don't know how you got back into writing a chapter a day. wtf is happening?! I LOVE IT THOUGH!
> 
> Of course, if there's a day or two inbetween chapters, dont worry!
> 
> I hope you're still enjoying it! I'm super excited about writing more!
> 
> -Paige

_ Where is Sans? _

That was the first thing you thought when you walked into the classroom to take your final and saw Dr. Pense at the front desk. You didn’t remember Sans telling you that someone besides him would be covering the test.

Dr. Pense looked up from the desk for only a second before quickly averting his eyes and instructing you to take your seat. You knew the guy was a bit shifty but that was even weird for him.

You walked over to your seat and pulled out your chair, surprised when you saw a note folded up on it with your initials on top. You grabbed it and sat down before opening it up underneath the table to read. The familiar font on the paper made you smile.

 

some stuff came up, nothing urgent, see you after the test.

you’ll do just fine.

-s

 

The fact that he had taken the time to slip you a note just so you wouldn’t worry had your heart fluttering. You read it a few times over before slipping it into your pocket.

More than ever before, you felt ready to tackle the final.

 

* * *

 

“Hey Sans, how are you today?” Mettaton asked as he opened the front door to he and Papyrus’ home. His dark hair was ruffled and he was wearing a frilly apron with hearts stitched on it.

“pretty good. You busy?” Sans asked.

“No, not at all, darling!” The robot said, stepping to the side, “Come on in, I’m just tidying up a bit and making some lunch. You’re welcome to stay and eat. It shouldn’t be long before it’s finished.”

“i might take you up on that.” Sans stepped into the house, “how’s paps doing today?”

“He’s doing really well!” Mettaton said happily, “He’s in our room right now. He wanted to cook for us but we had just gotten back from feeding the cats and I made him take a rest.”

Sans smirked, “you mean he actually listened? wow, he must be really sick.”

Metton chuckled, “I think he really just got tired of arguing with me about it. I’m sure he’ll feel much better after seeing you though.”

“heh, let’s see. Thanks, Metta.”

“I’ll let you two know when the food is done!” Mettaton called out as Sans headed off to the bedroom.

Sans walked down the hallway and peered into the last room. Papyrus was laying on the bed, actually resting surprisingly, but that changed as soon as he reached in and lightly tapped on the already opened door.

Papyrus sat up immediately and smiled wide as he saw his brother. He started to get up, but Sans motioned for him to sit back down as he walked over and sat down on the bed. 

“IT’S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU!!” Papyrus said, pulling Sans into a tight hug.

Sans grunted, “well it’s good to see that you haven’t lost a lot of your strength.”

“NYEH, NOTHING CAN KEEP THE GREAT PAPYRUS DOWN!” Papyrus laughed as he released his brother.

“that’s a good thing, bro.” Sans said, “a lot of people need you.”

“ESPECIALLY THE CATS!” Papyrus cackled, “AND METTATON!”

“especially them.” Sans said, “so, how are you doing?”

“I’M GOOD! METTA HAS BEEN MAKING ME TAKE FREQUENT BREAKS, WHICH I DON’T REALLY APPRECIATE.” He sighed, “BUT I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY, SO I TRY NOT TO GET TOO MAD WITH HIM.”

“we just want to make sure you keep getting better, bro.” Sans said.

“I KNOW. I’LL JUST BE A LOT HAPPIER WHEN I GET OVER THIS… WHATEVER IT IS!”

Sans reached over and laid his hand on Papyrus’ arm, “yeah, hopefully it won’t be too long.”

Papyrus went silent, his eyes looking off into nothingness. 

“SANS, IF IT’S THE ISSUE WITH THE MAGIC-”

“it’s not, you’re too young.” Sans cut in, “and this hit so sudden, it’s probably just a-”

“BROTHER.” Papyrus looked at him, his expression more serious than Sans had ever seen, “IT IS A POSSIBILITY, AND YOU KNOW IT.”

Sans shut his mouth and nodded, “yes… but…”

Papyrus got up and closed the door before turning back to face Sans.

“IF IT IS, I NEED YOU TO MAKE SURE METTATON IS ALRIGHT.”

Sans didn’t want to talk about it, he didn’t even want to think of this ridiculous ‘sickness’ taking his brother away. Papyrus had been there for him for so long, and he couldn’t imagine being without him.

“of course, pap.”

“TELL HIM IT’S OK IF HE WANTS TO FIND SOMEONE ELSE TO TAKE CARE OF THE CATS. BUT I’D LIKE HIM TO KEEP THEM TO AT LEAST KEEP HIMSELF BUSY.”

“papyrus-”

Papyrus looked at him sharply, “AND I NEED YOU TO MAKE SURE UNDYNE DOESN’T WRECK ANYTHING IN HER INITIAL ANGER.”

“this isn’t going to-”

“AND I WANT YOU TO MAKE SURE FRISK DOESN’T LOCK THEMSELVES AWAY IN THE SADNESS OF LOSING THE GREATEST FRIEND THEY EVER HAD.”

“ok, but-”

“AND SANS,” Papyrus walked over and bent down, getting in Sans face, “IF YOU DON’T TELL THAT SWEET NATASHA HUMAN HOW YOU REALLY FEEL ABOUT HER, SO HELP ME I WILL JUMP OUT OF MY DUST AND MAKE YOU.”

Sans blinked, but said nothing. Papyrus sighed and sat back down on the bed, patting Sans on the back.

“GOT ALL THAT, BIG BROTHER?”

“yeah, yeah.” Sans said, still reeling, “but i don’t think i’ll need to be doing any of that.”

There was a knock at the door and Mettaton’s sing-songy voice floated through the air.

“Lunch is ready, you two!”

 

* * *

 

You walked into the house and sighed happily. Your finals were done, and you were honestly content with it all. 

The house was quiet, so you assumed Frisk just hadn’t gotten home yet. You headed to your room and kicked off your shoes while simultaneously wrestling your way out of your nice clothes, but of course there was a loud knocking on the door as you finished putting on your pajamas.

You made your way to the front door and looked out the side window to see Sans. You smiled and immediately opened the door for him.

“Hey Sans! How is everything?” 

He returned the smile, “going pretty well. is frisk home? i was hoping to talk with both of you.”

“Not yet, but they shouldn’t be too long. Wanna come in and wait?” You asked.

“sure, i’d like that.” He said.

Sans stepped inside and the two of you walked toward the living room.

“So, i this whole thing about why you weren’t at the school today?” You asked, “Oh, and do you want anything to drink?”

“i’m good on the drink, thanks.” He said, “and that’s part of it. the other part is about the expedition.”

“Oh yeah?” You both sat on the sofa, “Are we going pretty soon?”

“uh, possibly.” he said, “we’re not a hundred percent on anything yet, but it won’t be long.”

Silence fell over the room and you watched him for a moment. He seemed a bit fidgety, fiddling with the fabric of his jacket and shifting his gaze all over.

“Are you okay?”

“i’m alright, just got a lot on my mind.” He said, “i uh, went to visit paps today.”

You sat up a little straighter at that, “How is he?”

“he’s not as bad as i initially thought. It’s entirely possible that it isn’t even the magic depletion getting to him.” He said, “but the symptoms of weakness, it’s just worrying, that’s how it always seems to start.”

You scooted a little closer to him, to help comfort him or just because you wanted to, you weren’t sure.

“He’s still pretty strong though, right? If it is related to what’s happening underground, maybe we can fix it pretty quickly and it’ll be like he never got sick.”

The corner of Sans’ mouth turned up a little more as he looked at you.

“your optimism is refreshing… you know, paps is hopeful, but he’s also already started planning out stuff for me to do if this takes him.” He said.

“What? That’s crazy.” You said, “He isn’t even bedridden or anything.”

“yeah, but he likes to plan things and be prepared.” He said, “he asked me to watch after mettaton, undyne, and frisk.”

“It’s really sweet that he’s thinking about his friends in this situation.” You said.

“he’s always looked out for others. it’s kind of amazing how selfless he is.”

The front door swung open and you both turned around to see Frisk walking in. 

“Hey you two!” They said, tossing their bag by their room, “What’s going on?”

“i came by to discuss a few things with both of you.” Sans said, getting to his feet.

Frisk leapt over the back of the couch and plopped down into the cushions.

“Alright, lay it on us.”

“so, as you know… well, one of you know, i wasn’t at the school today.” He started.

Frisk fake gasped, “Dr. Angel Hair Pasta, were you playing hooky?!”

Sans looked curiously at Frisk, “did you just… really?” He shook his head, “ok, anyway, no i wasn’t playing hooky.”

“Then why weren’t you there?” Frisk asked.

“because i don’t work there anymore.”

“What?!” You and Frisk rang out in unison.

“yup, i quit.” He said.

“Why?” You asked.

“a few reasons,” he said, “but mostly, i’ve decided to focus my time on the usgs and what they are working on with the underground. they’ve decided to hire me full time.”

“Alright Sans!” Frisk said, jumping up and hugging him, “You know what, I bet you’re going to enjoy this job more than the school anyway. Especially now that you don’t have to deal with that asshole human dude.”

“heh, you don’t know the half of it, kid.” Sans said.

You were still rather speechless, and couldn’t help but wonder if there was some big reason behind him quitting so suddenly.

“so, that brings me to my next topic.” He continued, “the trip. now, i hope you both have at least started packing, because it might be closer than you think.”

“I did.” You said, “How far off do you think?”

“a week, possibly.”

Your eyes widened, “A week?!”

He nodded, “it seems that some situations are getting more dire and we just can’t waste much more time. Everything at the lab is set and ready to go, we just need to get the two of you set up and us go down there.”

“I should uh…” Frisk stood and began walking toward their room, “get on that.”

Sans rolled his eyes, “figures. anyway, i hate to just run out but there’s a few things i gotta do before i get home.”

“Oh, yeah of course.” You said, standing up, “So is there any day or time we should go to the lab?”

“i’ll let you know when i need you to come in for a few minor tests. it shouldn’t take long at all.” He said.

“Alright. Well, thanks for coming by and giving us a heads up.” 

“no problem at all,” He started toward the door, “i’ll see ya later.”

You let him get a few steps away before deciding to stop him.

“Hey, Sans.”

He looked back, “yeah?”

“Your reason for quitting.... Was it anything bad?” You asked.

His expression softened and he turned back to you, reaching out and squeezing your hand reassuringly.

“if you’re asking if you did anything to cause it, the answer is no.” 

You both smiled and he started off again.

“i’ll see you, nat.”

“See you.”

You watched as he left and jumped slightly when you heard Frisk snicker behind you.

“Oh man, this trip is going to be a blast with you two.” They said.

You rolled your eyes and playfully shoved them back toward their bedroom.

“Shush and go pack your bags.”


	40. Lost Apatite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is basically the start of part 2 of this story... yeah, it's kind of a long story XD This is where I had originally planned to have the start of the end, which I guess is kind of the same. But really, there is so much more to go over, and this is really where friendships (and otherrrr relationships) come into play.
> 
> This is gonna be the most fun to write!
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

You’d only ever dreamed of doing this since the monsters came from Mount Ebott. You’d imagined what it’d be like to see their home for yourself, to explore the vast underground caverns and see what most humans had never seen before. 

You figured it’d never happen, yet here you were, walking a trail up the mountain with your friends, one a monster, and the other who released the monsters from captivity 15 years ago. It was crazy to think that just a few months ago you met these two, and now you were embarking on a potentially dangerous journey with them.

“so unfortunately the entrance where the barrier broke has collapsed almost entirely, so we’ve had to find another way in.” Sans said, leading the way.

You glanced over at Frisk, who had been practically silent the whole way up. They looked like they were lost in thought and you figured they might not want to talk.

The three of you made your way up the path, each carrying a large pack on your backs, and Sans using his magic to pull along a few others. You weren’t sure how long you’d be down there, and you would only have contact with the surface in case of an emergency. It was scary to think about, but you were excited.

It wasn’t long before Frisk sped up and took the lead. You and Sans exchanged confused glances and followed them. The forest became thicker as you went, and soon you were surrounded by a variety of lush plants and twisting vines. You were so mesmerized by it all that you almost ran into Frisk when they stopped walking.

“Here it is.” They said, “I remember it like it was yesterday… though it was so long ago.”

You watched as they knelt down and began pulling foliage away to reveal a rather large hole in the ground. 

“wow, kiddo. i’m kinda surprised you knew exactly where it was.” Sans said.

“I can’t really forget.” They said, staring into the darkness.

Sans turned around and started rummaging through one of the larger bags.

“alright, well i can use magic to help us get down there, but i’d like to take some safety preca-”

“FRISK!” You screamed as you saw Frisk jump down into the hole.

Sans hurried over beside you and looked over the edge.

“i really shouldn’t be surprised by now.” he said before calling out, “frisk, you alright down there?”

There were a few terrifying seconds before you got an answer.

“Never better! The flowers are still growing down here!” They yelled back.

The two of you sighed in relief and Sans warned Frisk to move before lowering the bags down the hole. He then turned to you and held his hand out.

“ready?” He asked, “i can get us both down there pretty easily.”

“You sure? I know you said your magic wasn’t as strong as it used to be.” You said.

“it’s a little better since we’re moving closer to the source.” He told you, “so, you sure you don’t wanna back out?”

You smiled and took his hand, “Not at all.”

You felt weightless as he lowered the two of you down into the dark. You couldn’t help but wrap your arms around him if for nothing but stability reasons, though you were sure he didn’t mind a bit.

“you okay?” Sans asked.

“Yeah.” You said, “It’s just a longer drop than I thought.”

He rubbed your arm and assured you that it wasn’t too much further, and that helped you feel a little more calm for the rest of the drop.

“Geez, you two sure took your time, didn’t you?” Frisk teased as you and Sans landed.

You gasped in awe as you looked around. You were standing in a field of bright yellow flowers that reminded you of Flowey. They looked as though they were well taken care of, though nobody had been there to take care of them in years.

“That was my reaction too.” Frisk said, “Both when I first fell, and just now… how are they still alive if the magic is dwindling?”

Sans shrugged, “beats me. maybe it’s because they’re close to the source, like with me… or maybe it’s that they just don’t take much to keep alive.”

“Wow.” You breathed, looking around at the vines that covered the cave walls, “It’s beautiful down here.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet, Nat!” Frisk said, “Let’s head into the ruins!”

The three of you gathered the bags up once again and headed deeper into the underground. You went through another dark room before stepping into a room with two staircases leading up to a large stone entrance. 

“so, we’re gonna head through and see what’s up in the ruins… probably end up stopping at Toriel’s old place for the night and planning from there.” Sans said, “sound good?”

“Alright.” You said.

“Sounds good to me!” Frisk agreed, “Man, it’s gonna be weird seeing all this again… probably moreso since it seems to have fallen apart some.”

“you’re telling me.” Sans mumbled.

The three of you started off again, heading through the stone doorway you could see a sign hanging about it, but years of wear had made it too damaged to read. As you continued through the next couple of rooms, you noticed a lot of rubble and collapsed areas. You crossed over two small bridges at one point that looked like they used to be above a stream of water.

“There were all sorts of puzzles down here.” Frisk spoke as you walked, “There was even a dummy down here at the end where Toriel taught me how to approach monsters.”

Coming to the end of the straight path, you saw no dummy, and Frisk seemed a little sad about it. They continued on without another word though.

“there’s a spiked bridge coming up,” Sans warned, “i’m not sure if the traps still work, so let me check it out before either of you step on it… that means you, frisk.”

“Aw, but I remember the way around the spikes!” They argued.

 

* * *

 

It took a while, there were many rooms with many puzzles, some of which were broken and had to be forced to open the way, but eventually you all made it to a quaint little home.

“Here we are!” Frisk said, “My first home in the underground!”

“it honestly doesn’t look bad, well, from out here.” Sans said.

Inside didn’t too bad either, once you got past the layers of (non-monster) dust that covered every surface. The three of you began unpacking the items you’d need for the night and Frisk ran off to check and see if the rooms were still in tact before running back and dragging you down the hallway.

“It looks like the beds are still good, so you can sleep in Mom’s room tonight, if you like.” They said, walking into the second room. It was fairly large and mostly empty except for a few books on a bookshelf, and empty desk in the corner, and the queen sized bed.

“Don’t mind the dust right now.” They added, “I’m gonna try to clean up a little so we all don’t choke on it in our sleep.”

“Okay.” You said, “Want me to get us some food?”

“I think Sans said something about cooking when we came in, he might need some help.”

You nodded and walked back down the hall, peering into the next room on the way. It was a smaller room, with a smaller bed, and you figured that was Frisk’s old room. You kept walking until you got to the kitchen where you saw Sans looking through canned foods from the bags.

“Hey, can I do anything to help out?” You asked as you approached him.

“uhh, maybe.” He said, “are you two hungry for anything specific?”

“I don’t think so. Anything sounds good right now.” You said.

“i hear ya… welp, let’s see what we got.”

You and Sans spent time looking through things before deciding on making some sandwhiches with one of the few loaves of bread and some peanut butter and jelly you brought. Looking through the cabinets you found a few old pots and pans, and it looked like a chocolate bar was the only thing left in the fridge.

You stayed in the kitchen while Sans went to take Frisk their sandwich, but it wasn’t long before he came back, sandwich still in hand.

“Everything okay?” You asked.

“not sure, honestly.” he said, “i asked if they were hungry, and they said not right now. they seemed preoccupied in their old room, said they wanted to be alone for a bit.”

“Must be tough for them.” You thought out loud. “They haven’t been here in years and the first place they spend the night at is their old home.”

“yeah, i’m sure they’re going through a lot right now.” Sans said as the two of you moved to the dining table in the sitting room.

“How are you feeling about seeing your old place?” You asked, sitting down in one of the chairs.

“eh, i’ve got mixed feelings about it.” He said, “i just hope it isn’t totally destroyed. last time i was down here, snowdin’s weather was changing and there wasn’t near as much snow as there used to be. there probably isn’t any left now.”

You frowned, “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head, “don’t be. It’s not a big deal. i don’t live there anymore.”

“Still, it’s your old home.” You said, “Did you and Papyrus leave anything behind when you left?”

“a few things, pretty much all of the furniture. we took as much as we could carry.” He said.

You nodded and finished off your sandwich, “I can understand that.”

There was a short moment of silence before Sans spoke again.

“sounds like you’ve had experience with that sort of thing before.” He said hesitantly.

“Yeah, I have.” You told him, “I grew up in foster care.”

“oh, i didn’t mean to-”

“No, no, it’s fine.” You said, “I’ve been out of there a long time it’s… honestly, it’s probably good to talk about it.”

Sans ate the rest of his food before asking another question. You assumed he was thinking on what exactly to ask, not wanting to upset you.

“how often did you move?”

“It just depended on the family. I kinda had shit luck with most of them. The shortest time with a family was 3 months. The longest was 4 years.”

“wow.” he said, “you’d been in there since you were a baby?”

You nodded. You didn’t know your birth parents and you really didn’t care to know them.

“that sounds like a lot of moving for a kid.”

“It was. I got used to it though. With all the shit that went down, there were good times too.” 

“that’s good. i’m glad there were some happy memories there.” 

You leaned forward in your chair, propping your elbows on the dining table.

“Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

“not at all.” He said, relaxing back in his chair.

“Did you raise Papyrus?” You asked.

“basically.” He answered, “we had a dad… if you could actually call him that.”

You hummed in acknowledgement and decided not to pry any further than that. He would elaborate if he wanted to.

You and Sans both turned around at the noise of footsteps down the hall. Frisk was changed into pajamas and had their hair in a high, messy bun.

“Sorry about that, just wanted a moment to myself. I’m good now though.” They said.

“You sure you’re alright?” You asked.

“Yeah, dude, It’s cool now.” They said, “I’d really like that sandwich now though.”

You chuckled and handed them their plate, “Here you go, buddy.”


	41. At Fault

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hoooo, buddy.
> 
> Y'all ready for this?
> 
> -Paige <3

The rest of the first evening was spent listening to Frisk tell stories about them living with Toriel. The way they spoke, it seems like they really missed it at times. They talked about Tori making them pies and telling them jokes and… teaching them about cooking with snails, which was kinda weird, but you weren’t going to judge what they bonded over.

After a bit of arguing, Sans convinced you to take Tori’s bed while he slept in the recliner in the sitting room. You tried to tell him that you and Frisk could share the larger bed while he took the smaller, but after hearing Frisk talk in their sleep during the night, you were kind of glad you slept in separate rooms.

In the morning, after eating a quick breakfast, the three of you packed everything up and headed down the stairs that you had assumed lead to a basement. Instead, you were greeted with an insanely long hallway with a large set of doors at the end. 

Frisk stepped up to the doors and laid their hand on it, running their fingertips over the detailed engravings. 

“This is where it really started.” They said, “When I left here, I couldn’t come back.”

“Why not?” You asked them.

“Tori was afraid of me ending up like the other children that fell down here… because my soul was needed to break the barrier.” They sighed, “She just didn’t want me ending up like…”

Sans reached out and patted their shoulder. Frisk nodded and took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. You really started to worry about Frisk. You hadn’t seen them show this much emotion since you met them.

It surprised you a little when Sans then tapped a few times on the door.

“knock knock.”

“Who’s there?” Frisk asked.

“dumbbell.”

You could hear the smile in Frisk’s voice as they asked, “Dumbbell who?”

“dumb bell doesn’t work, so i had to knock.” Sans said, smirking.

Frisk laughed softly and shook their head.

“Okay, okay, let’s get out of here before you tell more of those awful jokes.” They said, pushing against the door until it started to open with a loud creaking noise.

You were greeted with a slight breeze and, surprisingly, a good bit of light. Stepping out, you laid your eyes on what looked like a forest. Most of the trees looked dead, and the grass seemed to be covered in a light dusting of frost.

Nobody said anything as you walked along the path. At one point, Sans tapped your arm and you looked over at him. He motioned toward a stick on the ground that Frisk had already walked past. You watched as he crushed it under his foot and Frisk came to a sudden stop. They stood still for a few seconds before shaking off a chill and continuing on. You weren’t sure what was happening, but guessed it was something between those two.

You noticed a bridge up ahead with some wooden posts on each side. Frisk stopped again once they stepped on it.

Sans stepped up behind them and reached out their hand toward Frisk, but just as he started to speak, Frisk whirled around and grasped his hand. Their eyes were locked with his in some strange, expressionless state. It seemed like an eternity passed before they suddenly burst into laughter.

“Sorry, Sans.” They said, “Memories just kinda took over for a bit there.”

“heh, no problem kiddo. c’mon, let’s go.” He said.

You didn’t even acknowledge the exchange, feeling that it wasn’t your place to. But you were sure Sans knew how you felt, because he smiled at you as you continued over the bridge.

It didn’t take too long for Frisk to run off again, this time to a little area off to the side with what looked like it used to be some sort of stand that was beginning to fall apart. 

“Sans, look! The lamp is still here!”

You walked over to where Frisk stood next to a lamp that wasn’t much shorter than Sans himself. It was oddly shaped, though. 

Frisk knelt down behind the lamp where you couldn’t see them.

“Doesn’t work as well now, huh?” They asked.

“you’re a little taller now, frisk.” Sans said, “don’t think it would even fool paps now.”

“I bet it would!” Frisk jumped up, laughing.

“So, anyone gonna fill me in?” You spoke up.

“OH, sorry Nat!” Frisk said, “So when I first came out here I met Sans on the bridge back there, and it was here that he told me to hide because Papyrus was looking for humans, so I got behind this very conveniently shaped lamp.”

“That lamp looks exactly like child Frisk.” Sans said.

“I have a feeling there’s gonna be many more stories like this down here, huh?” 

The both of them smiled and nodded. 

Continuing down the slightly icy path, you ended up passing more ruined structures and blocked pathways. Frisk became a bit more talkative, reminiscing about their journey through here. Apparently there were many different monsters who tried to fight them, and a couple of dog monsters who they ended up petting just to get past as well a snowman who just wanted to see the world.

“I took a piece of him to the surface.” They said, “Ended up keeping it until I was able to go to a snowy place and make a new body for him. It was really nice.”

Unsurprisingly, there were more puzzles up ahead. Sans spoke about his brother making them in his attempt to catch a human. Apparently they were super easy for Frisk, but Papyrus never gave up.

Sans ended up taking the lead at one point, warning you and Frisk to be careful. 

“most of the snow and ice is gone, but it’s still a bit slippery out here. watch your footing.” He said.

A few hours passed, you had ended up taking mini breaks, some because of tiredness, others to move a bit of rubble to make a safer path. You realized that you were experiencing the first real bit of danger here as you watched a small avalanche take out a few trees right off the path, but you were still determined to keep going. This trip was important to all of monster kind, and you weren’t about to let a few mishaps stop you from doing what you could to make it worthwhile.

“we’re almost to snowdin.” Sans spoke while passing by a large, broken down doghouse, “there’s a bridge up ahead, not too sure how stable it’s going to be now, though.”

When you reached the bridge it became pretty clear that it was definitely not stable. It was still hanging, but many of the planks had fallen away, and the remaining ones seemed pretty worn.

“So uh, how you wanna tackle this?” Frisked asked, approaching the bridge.

“hmm, let’s see.” 

Sans stepped up and placed a foot on the first plank of wood. He gently pressed on it before it cracked and fell away.

“welp, magic it is.” he said.

You watched as he gathered the bags and sent them over to the other side, then turned to you and Frisk.

“who wants to go first?” He asked.

“Go ahead and send Nat over.” Frisk said.

You looked questioningly over at Frisk but Sans just shrugged.

“ready, nat?” 

“I mean, I guess.” You said.

You let out a small yelp as you began to float. It was a lot scarier without someone else to hold onto, and you found yourself holding your breath and staring down into the abyss as you passed over the bridge. 

“you good?” Sans called once your feet touched the ground.

“Yeah!” You yelled back.

You picked back up your bag and looked back over the bridge. Frisk and Sans were talking, or arguing, you weren’t really sure. It took a minute or two before you finally saw them start over together. Perhaps Frisk just didn’t want to be sent over alone. You had to admit, it was a bit disorienting.

Frisk let out a large breath once they landed, “Let’s try not to do that again, please.”

“i still don’t understand why that bothered you.” Sans said.

“I’d just rather not, is all.” They said, swinging their bag onto their back and starting off on the path again, “Come on, let’s go.”

You looked over at Sans, “Are they okay?”

“i’m not sure.” He said, “they’ve been acting a bit strange since we got down here.”

You glanced off toward where Frisk had gone, “They must have a lot on their mind.”

“yeah, i keep forgetting that the last time they were down here was when they broke the barrier.” He said, “it’s gotta be tough for them seeing everything like this.”

You and Sans started after Frisk and it wasn’t too long before you entered the small town of Snowdin. You passed by a shop and an inn before you saw Frisk standing in front of another building. The large sign on the front read “Grillby’s.”

“This is it huh?” You asked, “The original Grillby’s.”

“yup,” Sans answered, “the best food in all of the underground.”

“Papyrus would disagree with that.” Frisk said, a smile playing on their lips.

Sans stepped up to the door and turned the handle. The door quietly opened and you followed him inside. The interior was almost exactly like the one you’d been to on the surface. It felt inviting, despite being completely abandoned.

“Did you two eat here often back then?” You asked.

“i did.” Sans said, “brought frisk in here a few times.”

Frisk walked up to the bar and sat at one of the stools. They sighed and buried their face in their hands.

“Frisk?” You spoke, laying a hand on their back.

“This is almost too much.” They said, “I’m sorry.”

“Hey, it’s fine.” You told them, “We understand.”

Sans sat on the stool beside them, “you wanna take another break, kiddo?”

Frisk shook their head and stood from their seat suddenly, “I’m gonna take a walk. I’ll meet you two at the house, okay?”

“Be careful.” you told them.

They hurried out the door, leaving you and Sans alone in the empty restaurant. 

“they mean me and pap’s old house.” Sans said, “they’re probably just going to walk around snowdin and see what’s still here. they’ll be fine.”

“I wish they would talk to us.” You said, taking the seat that Frisk had been sitting in.

“they will, in time.” He said, “did i ever tell you that frisk used to rarely ever talk down here?”

“I seem to remember you or Papyrus saying something about it.” You said.

“yeah, they really only talked when spoken to, and sometimes not even then.”

You swirled around in the stool, leaning back against the bar, “How long were they down here.”

“i can’t really say.” he mimicked your movement, “maybe 5 months or so? they stayed with me and paps for a while though.”

“Frisk was pretty young yeah?”

“they were old enough to make decisions on their own, but definitely not old enough to be out on their own, if that makes sense.” He said, “not that that made any difference to them. they always did what they wanted, when they wanted.”

“That sounds like them.” You said.

“hey, want me to fix us up something to eat? i’m starving.” Sans asked.

You nodded, “Hell yeah.”

 

* * *

 

Frisk trudged along, walking out of Snowdin and slowly moving along the trail next to what used to be the raging river heading into Waterfall. Tears slid down their cheeks and they hugged themselves through the anguish that wracked them mentally.

_ You knew it’d be like this. _

“No, I didn’t.” They spoke, “This was supposed to be a nice trip with my friends.”

_ What’s so nice about going back to the place where you slaughtered so many innocent creatures? Not to mention going WITH one of many you killed. _

“I was looking for answers.” They sniffed.

_ Answers to what? You know exactly what happened here. _

“I don’t know WHY though.” Frisk said.

The voice inside their mind laughed.

_ It’s because you’re sick! You’re a horrible person, and you KNOW it! _

Frisk stopped in their tracks and looked to the spot in front of them. 

_ You remember what happened here, yeah? _

Overcome with emotion, Frisk knelt on the cold ground.

_ You’d already killed your mother, but she wouldn’t move out of the way, that was practically self defense. At least, that’s what you told yourself. _

The tears were falling much faster now.

_ But Papyrus… precious, sweet Papyrus. All you had to do was listen to him and play his little game. But no. _

“Shut up…”

_ You just had to see what would happen if you continued on your path of destruction.  _

“This wasn’t just me. I’m not the only one at fault here!”

_ Oh but you were the cause of it. I might have played a part, but it was all you… I’m not sure why you stopped, when you loved it so much. _

Frisk sobbed, leaning forward into their hands. They knew now that they should have never come down here. They could stop this on the surface, but down here was different.

Down here, they were no longer in control.


	42. None of Your Bismuth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any theories so far on the story, leave them below! :D
> 
> (Or leave any comment at all. Not many people comment anymore...)
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige <3

Sans took you to his old home in Snowdin and showed you around. The two of you talked while he made pasta, which was fitting considering it was his brother’s favorite meal to cook.

“So you and Papyrus were both sentries?” You asked over the meal, sitting on the couch with Sans.

“yep. pap was a lot better than i was though. he was all for finding humans and i really just wanted to sleep and eat.” Sans said.

You chuckled, “Ya know, before I met you I didn’t think you’d be lazy at all. But after talking with both you and Frisk, I can see it.”

Sans laughed, “i’m a lot better than i used to be, if i do say so myself.”

You looked down at your food, turning it over in the bowl with your fork.

“So, after this, what are you going to be doing at the USGS?” You decided to ask.

“whatever they want me to do, i guess.” He said.

“They didn’t tell you when they hired you?” 

“well, everything has been focused on this mission, so we haven’t really had a chance to talk about it.”

After taking a few more bites, you brought up the subject you asked about a week ago.

“You never told me why you quit your teaching job.” 

Sans finished off his pasta and set his bowl on the end table, “there were a few reasons, but i told you-”

“I know what you told me.” You said, “But you just quit out of the blue, and I wondered if anything had happened.”

Sans sighed, “it was pense. he had suspicions about you and me and cornered me over it. i’d just had enough of his shit.”

Your brows furrowed, “So… I did have something to do with it.”

“no, no.” Sans said, turning to face you better, “you had nothing to do with me quitting.”

“That’s a lie.” You said, “If it hadn’t been for me, you wouldn’t have been in that situation.”

“look, i could’ve easily told him to get lost and kept my job. i just knew that something needed to change.”

“Still, I can’t believe that, the very thing we tried to prevent…”

Sans gently placed his hand on your knee and you met his eyes.

“natasha, i didn’t mean to lie to you, that wasn’t my intention.” He said.

“Then what was?” You asked, unable to hide the fact that you honestly felt hurt, “Did you or did you not choose me over your job?”

“i had a choice between staying somewhere where i felt stuck and manipulated, or taking the way out with a better job and a chance for me to have more freedom” He said, “i chose the second.”

“What freedoms would you have at the USGS that you didn’t at the university?” You asked.

“well, i won’t need to worry about pense trying to get my fired all the time, and i can also do this.”

In one swift movement, Sans cupped your chin and pressed his mouth against yours. You froze in shock at first, but melted into it once you realized what was happening. You moved closer to him, feeling your bowl of food leave your lap and you didn’t care where it ended up.

Your skin tingled, goosebumps popping up all over you. His hand ran gently through your hair as he kissed you a little harder. You felt him start to back off, but your hands reached out to his jacket and pulled him right back in.

You felt like crying when the two of you eventually ended up parting. You were breathing hard and Sans’ face was flushed bright blue.

“You’ve proved your point.” You told him.

“heh, think so?” He smirked, “i could argue further.”

The two of you were drawing closer again until the noise of the front door swinging open caused you to jump apart.

“Hey guys, I was just-” Frisk stopped in their tracks as they entered. They narrowed their eyes, smiling, “You two were totally just making out right now, weren’t you?”

“and just where have you been?” Sans asked, completely ignoring their words and the heat on his face.

“I went out for a walk, just thinking on my time living down here and everything.” They said as they neared the couch, their step a little peppier than before.

“well, i made pasta while you were out. your helping is in the kitchen.” He said.

Remembering your bowl, you looked to the floor to see nothing there. Glancing around you saw it sitting on the end table, nothing out of place… had Sans moved it earlier? You smiled at the thought of him realizing your food was falling mid-kiss and using his magic to save it.

Frisk grabbed their bowl and joined you and Sans in the living room.

“i was thinking, for sleeping arrangements tonight, nat might be more comfortable in papyrus’ old bed since she’s the tallest.” Sans pointed out, “frisk, you can take my bed if you like-”

“Oh hell no, dude.” Frisk laughed, “I’ll take the couch, your room is still a complete wreck I’m sure.”

Sans rolled his eyes, “fine.” He looked at you, “that sound okay?”

“Yeah, that’s fine with me.” You said, “I’m actually gonna go ahead and get ready for bed, I’m pretty beat.”

Frisk snorted, “Yeah I bet you are.”

Sans had shown you each room earlier, and there were only two bedrooms in the house so it wasn’t hard to find Papyrus’ at all. You got your bag and walked into the room, shutting the door behind you.

 

* * *

 

“are you sure you’re okay, frisk?” Sans asked as he and Frisk sat on the couch after Natasha went upstairs.

“I’m having some issues, but I’ll be fine.” They said.

“what sort of issues?” He asked.

Frisk sighed, “It’s complicated. Just… a lot of stuff to think about.”

“i feel like you’re not being completely honest here.” Sans said.

“Sans, I understand that you’re worried, but please don’t be. I can handle what’s going on.” They said, turning their attention back to their food.

“this doesn’t have anything to do with those dreams, does it?” Sans asked, “the ones that you haven’t explained to me for years?”

Frisk didn’t answer.

Sans could feel the anger rising within him, but he wasn’t about to complicate this mission, it was too important.

“i’m headed off to bed.” Sans said, standing from the couch, “we have an early start tomorrow.”

“Goodnight.” was al Frisk said.

He started up the stairs but turned back after a moment of hesitation.

“kiddo.”

Frisk looked up at him.

“we know something is wrong, that you haven’t been feeling too great since we got down here.” Sans said, “but you need to realize that you aren’t alone. alright?”

“I know.” Frisk said.

Sans nodded and continued to his room, pausing in front of Papyrus’ old bedroom. He wanted so badly to go in there and kiss Nat again, it felt so easy without the possibility of termination and the destruction of her career looming over him. It also helped that they were underground, where nobody would be able to see them, but he kept walking down the hallway. That was just one more way to complicate things. Sans was a patient man, and he could hold off on that a little longer.

He opened the door to his room and a wave of deja vu hit him hard. Everything was exactly as he’d left it, there were even old clothes scattered around the floor. Shedding his jacket and shoes, Sans stepped over and flopped onto his old bed. Laying on his back there, he could remember the coldness of Snowdin, and how he hated leaving his warm bed in the mornings when Papyrus would make him get up to go to work.

He also remembered tiny Frisk, who was a lot more sensitive to the snowy climate than the monsters. Many nights they actually crawled into bed with him or Paps. Mostly for warmth, sometimes because they were lonely or scared.

How long had that been, really? Time seemed almost warped when he thought about back then. It was almost like another lifetime had passed. He felt as though it wasn’t just him, and that had something to do with the bond between him and his old friend.

Deciding not to go to sleep right yet, Sans got back up and walked over to his dresser, grabbing a silver key from his sock drawer. Not to disturb the others, he then teleported outside to behind the house where his workshop was. Using the key, he unlocked the door and opened it carefully.

It was nearly empty since he’d moved most of his stuff to the surface, but the machine was still in the back under a large tarp, and there were still random items lying in the drawers.

A long time ago Sans had worked here day and night in an attempt to make some sense of the underground’s magic and what he called the void, but he eventually gave up when he realized he was having lapses in his memory. They started around the time Frisk fell, and he knew it had something to do with them.

He had some tie to them, and he knew part of it had to do with Determination, and he knew the shared dreams were because of it… but he still had no idea what they were hiding from him or why, only that they were never entirely truthful about things that had happened down here.

Had he let his love for them hide the truth? Did they actually have darkness in their soul? Frisk had to know that Sans would never force the truth out of them.

Digging through the drawers, he found a poorly drawn picture of three people with the words “don’t forget” scribbled below them. He knew who the people, or monsters rather, were… how could he forget?

But why had he drawn that in the first place? Had the memory lapses caused him to forget some things?

Sans sighed and placed the paper back into the drawer before pulling open another one, in which he found multiple empty vials and syringes.

He pricked at his memory, trying to figure out exactly what these were for. He remembered running experiments a long time ago, but he had never gone to the lengths of injecting determination into others as Alphys had…

Or had he? And he just didn’t remember?

Sans groaned and ran his hands over his face, “why did i even come down here?”

He glanced over the room once more before leaving it be. 

One thing was for certain, he had to know the truth from Frisk before they left this place.

 


	43. Can't Take the Pressure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been planning for this chapter since the beginning :)
> 
> Enjoy  
> -Paige

Waterfall was the next area to go through, and although it was much darker than it used to be (as told to you by Sans and Frisk) it was still gorgeous. There were these shiny rocks that littered the walls and ceilings and looked a lot like stars. 

“It’s hard to tell now, but water used to flow heavily through here.” Frisk told you.

There was still water, sure, but the level of it was much lower, and the actual waterfalls in the area were much like a steady stream from a kitchen faucet. 

Among all that, there were many areas that had collapsed over the years. The three of you ended up taking detours and sometimes required Sans to use magic to help you get back on the right path, much to Frisk’s discomfort.

Though Frisk didn’t seem as upset as before. You wondered what changed over the last night since they were now cracking jokes and goofing off. Maybe they had stopped getting so upset over all the memories? Or perhaps they were faking it.

Another thing that had you curious was Sans. He glanced over at you more often this day and the memory of kissing him the night before made your stomach light up with butterflies. You kept thinking about what he’d said though, about the whole situation with his job. He’d lied to you, yes, but he also quit his job to feel more free… and that freedom included having a chance with you.

It made you feel a little guilty, like you cost him the job he’d had for years, a good, stable job that he had worked hard to earn. At the same time, you knew it was his decision. You’d made it clear that you didn’t want to affect his work and that you would stay away if necessary. But he’d never pushed you away, quite the opposite really. A part of you felt flattered.

The three of you stopped for lunch in a place called the ‘wishing room.’ There was a lone bench and a large, wilted blue flower.

“Didn’t we see some of those on the way here?” You asked.

“Yeah, they’re echo flowers.” Frisk told you, “You say something into them and they echo it back, or they used to. Seems like they’re dying though.”

“last time i was down here i remember some of them still echoing on the path ahead.” Sans said.

“Really?!” Frisk asked excitedly.

“yeah, but that was a few years ago, they may be dead now.” He said.

Frisk scarfed down their food and stood up, “I’ll be right back, guys. I have to go check something real quick!”

Before you or Sans could say anything, they bolted out of the room, leaving the two of you very confused.

“Do they have some sort of past with the flowers or something?” You asked.

Sans shrugged, “i’m not sure. they were curious about them when they were younger. maybe they’re just hoping to hear them again.”

“Well I hope they do.” You said, “Did you ever use them?”

“on occasion. mostly to mess with others or leave jokes.” He said.

“That sounds like you.” You said, smiling.

You looked around the room, your eyes focusing on the numerous shining rocks.

“it still looks so bright down here for the magic to be as depleted as it is.” Sans said, “though part of that is the stones themselves, but magic definitely helps.”

“It’s beautiful.” You whispered in awe.

“i used to come here a good bit on my breaks.” He spoke, “i’d imagine the rocks were stars and i’d dream of studying them.”

“I’m really glad you got to go to the surface and see them.” You said.

“me too. i’m glad frisk was kind enough, and determined enough, to break the barrier.” He said.

You looked over at Sans, watching his face as he studied the walls. His eyes were so bright and he seemed genuinely happy. Setting your plate to the side, you moved closer to him on the ground.

He smiled and held his hand out, you laid yours in his and he gently ran his thumb over your skin.

“I’m also glad that I got to meet you.” He said softly.

“Heh, you make it sound like something’s going to happen to you.”

“who knows down here.” He said, then smiled up at you, “but i’m sure we’ll be fine. i just wanted to say that.”

“Well I’m glad I got to meet you too.” You said, “I do want to ask though, how many more places will we go through here.”

“getting tired already?”

You chuckled, “Nah, just curious.”

“we’re going through hotland next, which will lead us to the core, which is where we hope to find our answer to our little problem.” He said.

You snickered, “Wait, the core? Like the movie?”

“exactly.” He laughed, “though i hope our situation isn’t as shitty as that entire movie.”

“By the way, hotland? Who named these places?” You asked.

Sans rolled his eyes, “asgore. he’s never been the best at naming things.”

“So I’m guessing hot is pretty hot.”

“there’s literal lava.”

“Damn.” Was all you could say to that.

“don’t worry, though. it should be a straight shot from there.” He said.

“What should we be expecting once we get there?” You asked.

“honestly, i’m not sure… best to be prepared for anything.”

\---

It was a little farther than Sans remembered, the group of echo flowers that Frisk was looking for. They were there though, and almost all of them were brightly shining in the dim tunnel.

“Finally.” They said, rushing over to one of the flowers, “I wonder…”

They touched one of the petals and the familiar conversation played.

_ “If I say my wish, you promise you won’t laugh at me?” _

A wave of emotion ran through Frisk and they walked over to the next one.

_ “Of course I won’t laugh!” _

They could remember it so vividly, as if it had just happened a day ago… but it had been so many years.

They walked to the next.

_ “Someday I’d like to climb this mountain we’re all buried under. Standing under the sky, looking at the world all around… that’s my wish.” _

Tears pricked their eyes as they gently touched the petal of another flower. A childlike laughter flittered from it.

_ “Hey! You said you wouldn’t laugh at it!” _

Walking to last one, they lowered to their knees, bending their ear to it.

_ “Sorry, it’s just funny… That’s my wish too.” _

“Azzy.” They whimpered, replaying the echo. 

This was too much, maybe they shouldn’t have come down here.

_ What’s wrong, buddy? Too many memories that had horrible endings? _

“Shut up.” They sniffled, “I don’t have time for this.”

_ Looks like you have plenty of time. All you’re doing is sitting here like a little crybaby. _

They rolled their eyes, “I don’t have time for you.”

_ Aw, well that isn’t very nice. You had a lot of time for me the last few times we were down here. _

Flashbacks hit their vision like a truck at full speed.

_ Remember how we teamed up? How we worked so hard to uncover every secret of this place? How we wanted to reveal every possible outcome? _

They saw the monsters, they saw their friends. They seemed to melt before their eyes into nothingness.

_ You loved the games we played, after all, they were all your idea. _

Cackling filled their ears as they watched themselves kill Toriel, Papyrus, Undyne, Mettaton, over and over again.

_ My favorite parts happened later though. Remember when you finally murdered Sans? He’d been there for you and you still smiled as we watched him slump away to turn to dust alone… Alone, just as you’d left him after killing all of his family and friends. _

“Stop it!” They sobbed, doubling over on the ground.

_ And then Asgore, who went down so easily I honestly wonder how the other children who fell didn’t kill him. _

Nausea washed over them as they gripped the grass, pulling it from the dirt.

_ Oh yeah, let’s not forget Asriel. I mean, Flowey. It felt so good to stomp that worthless creature’s face in. I’m sure that was something you’d been wanting to do for a very long time. _

“No… stop.” They choked.

_ I’m sure if you had the power up there, you’d murder Natasha too. You’d murder everyone, over and over. Toying with their lives in your little game. _

“I wouldn’t! I wouldn’t hurt them, I wouldn’t kill Nat, I won’t kill anyone again!” They screamed.

Their eyes swirled with colors, they became very dizzy and disoriented.

_ Aw, are you getting tired already? Is this too much for you? _

Unable to keep themselves up, they collapsed onto the grass.

_ Doesn’t a rest sound nice? Right…  _

_ About… _

_ Now… _

_ ~~~~ _

They opened their eyes, finding themselves in a pitch black, empty room. They whirled around, looking in all directions.

“Where am I?” They asked.

“Oh, hi. I was wondering when you’d finally show up.”

They gasped at the spitting image of them materializing before them. They couldn’t speak, couldn’t scream.

 

**“Heh, what’s wrong, didn’t think I’d turn the tables back around…”**

  
  


**“...Chara.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of you might be confused, it will be explained in the next chapters! I will also have to tweak with the dialogue between Chara and Frisk, bolding one of them since they're both nonbinary.
> 
> In case you are confused at the ending lines. The bolded lines are coming from the one that was in our 'frisk's' head ;)
> 
> Please, leave a comment below!


	44. Sticks and Stones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, I have been waiting for this plot twist since the beginning and I'm SO glad it's here now. I hope I'm keeping you on your toes!
> 
> Enjoyyy!  
> -Paigey

After an hour or so, You and Sans decided to pack up and start looking for Frisk. You’d been worried, knowing that they had been going through their own problems since they got underground. 

On the way, the two of you talked about Sans’ time back underground when he was gathering information for his books. The things he had brought back to the surface really wowed the human geologists, and in turn, really wowed you. 

“i keep wondering if there’s anything i’ve missed down here.” Sans said at one point, “we monsters were trapped down here a long time, but i feel that there’s so many mysterious to uncover.”

“There probably are.” You said, “It’s the same way on the surface. We’re always discovering new things, and we had no clue about magic until you all showed up.”

“you would’ve had they not struck us from your history.” Sans said.

“Yeah, that’s just weird to me.” You said, “I get there was a war and everything, but there must have been mages to seal you all in… they must have been erased from our history too. How could they just make everyone forget those things.”

Sans shrugged, “who knows. it was a long time ago, before i was alive.”

“I’m just glad all the monsters can live on the surface now.” You said, “I know it isn’t always the best between monsters and humans, but a lot of us are happy you’re here.”

“I’m happy we’re here too.” He said, “it definitely isn’t all bad.”

You met his eyes and quickly looked away, your face burning slightly. From the tone of his voice, he meant being around you.

“Hey, Sans…” 

“hm?”

You took a deep breath, a bit uncertain of how to ask what was on your mind.

“When we get back to the surface… are things going to be the same between us?” You asked.

“what do you mean?”

_ Are we going to pretend that we haven’t kissed several and you aren’t my professor anymore? _

“Will we still, uh… hang out and stuff?”

_ Real smooth. _

“that depends on if you want to.” He said, “i wouldn’t make you do anything you wouldn’t want to do.”

“No, I mean, I’d like to.” You told him, “I like being around you.”

“i like being around you too.” He said, his voice a little softer now.

You continued walking, feeling content there with Sans, but also wondering if you and he would ever stop this dancing around feelings crap you were doing. He kissed you so confidently the night before, and you would be lying if you said you didn’t want to do the same with him… yet here you were, unable to really speak your mind without getting tongue tied, and there he was sounding a bit shy as well.

Of course, this whole bit of freedom was new, to the both of you. You weren’t used to not needing to pretend to not have feelings for him, and you were sure he was probably a little nervous over it as well… You had plenty of time to figure things out with him, though, especially once you got back to the surface.

Sans suddenly came to a halt, his magical hold on the bags disappearing completely. 

“frisk?” he spoke.

You looked up ahead and saw a familiar figure lying face down on the ground near an echo flower. They weren’t moving at all.

“Oh god, Frisk!” You immediately sprinted toward your friend, and Sans was right beside you.

The two of you knelt down and worked to flip them over. Sans tilted the side of his head down to their mouth and let out a sigh of relief.

“they’re breathing fine.” He said.

“I wonder what happened.” You said, moving a strand of hair away from Frisk’s face.

“they didn’t just decide to take a nice nap, that’s for sure.” Sans said as he looked over them, “it doesn’t seem like they’ve been attacked or anything though.”

“What do we do?” You asked, definitely feeling fearful for your friend.

“i’m not sure.” He said, “they might wake up soon, but there’s no way to be able to tell.”

The two of you sat in silence for a few moments, wracking your brains on the best course of action.

“i think our best bet right now is to get them to alphys’ old lab.” Sans spoke up, “it’s in hotland.”

“Do you want me to carry them?” You asked.

“no, i can take them, it’s alright.” Sans said, standing up.

“Are you sure? Or I could carry more bags.” You said.

Sans shook his head, “i appreciate it, but my magic has gotten stronger the closer we get to the core. it’ll be easier on both of us if i get them to hotland this way. it won’t be far.”

“Ok.” You said, “But let me know if you need to take a break, I don’t mind carrying Frisk.”

“thanks.” He said, looking back down at Frisk and surrounding them in magic, “come on kiddo. we’re gonna get you some help.”

 

* * *

 

*AUTHOR NOTE: This might be a little confusing, so just remember that Chara is the frisk WE have come to know and love. Frisk is the one who has been in their head, and who’s dialogue will be **bolded** *

 

“Why are you doing this?”

The real Frisk laughed,  **“Why am** **_I_ ** **doing this?! What an ironic question from someone who trapped me in here and lived as me for over 15 years!”**

“You know good and well why I did that!” Chara said, “If I hadn’t contained you, you would’ve went on slaughtering everything in your path!”

Frisk glared at them,  **“Oh, and I wonder who taught me how to do THAT!”**

Chara groaned in annoyance, “I’m also the one who stopped you.”

**“So that’s what I get, huh?”** Frisk said, pacing,  **“I got curious, listened to you, became some sort of puppet of yours and then once you got tired of it, you shoved me in here because I’M the evil one… that’s rich.”**

Chara looked at them with sympathy, “Look, it wasn’t an easy choice. I wanted to fuck with them, sure, but you became completely psychotic! The only way to stop the suffering was to break the barrier!”

Frisk crossed their arms and stood in front of them once again.

**“Well, I hope you had fun, because it’s time for me to take my body back once and for all.”**

Chara raised an eyebrow, “And how are you going to do that? Last time I checked, I’m a lot stronger than y-”

The ground beneath their feet rumbled, the fabric of their very mind seemed to start caving in on itself. 

“Frisk, what are you doing?!”

**“Did I not just fucking say what I was doing?”** Frisk said, rolling their eyes.

“If you take back over, you’re just going to go on a rampage again!” 

**“You’re damn right I am!”** They said, **“I think I deserve to have some fun after all this time.”**

Fear coursed through Chara.

“Frisk, there’s no reset button anymore. If you did that, you’d be be killing them permanently.”

Frisk’s maniacal smile grew wider.

**“I know.”**

“This is exactly why I trapped you here in the first place!” Chara yelled.

There was an abundance of magical power whipping around the room, physically battering the two as they stood facing off.

**“Well I guess you really regret coming to me in the first place now, huh?”**

“Kind of, yeah!” Chara said, “Listen, Frisk, we can talk this out, come on!”

Frisk’s eyes widened,  **“You want to talk about this? REALLY?!”**

The magic wrapped around Chara, squeezing the air out of them.

**“You talk me into killing monsters, take control of me, trap me, and NOW you wanna talk things out??”**

“Frisk, I only wanted to stop you-”

**“WHY?!”** They yelled,  **“WHY WOULD YOU STOP ME WHEN YOU STARTED ALL OF THIS?!”**

Chara’s eyes watered, part from the physical discomfort, part from emotion.

“BECAUSE YOU KILLED ASRIEL!”

Frisk laughed again,  **“You mean the stupid flower? That isn’t Asriel! YOU helped kill Asriel and you know it! Now you’re just taking your guilt out on everyone else!”**

Chara was silent, they did feel the guilt. Not only for Asriel, but for Frisk’s imprisonment in their own mind.

“Frisk, please.” They spoke, “Can we at least talk before you do this.”

It took a few moments for the choking feeling to leave Chara so they could breathe, the energy around them died down and Frisk glared at them.

**“We can talk, though I don’t know what you think could possibly change my mind.”** They said. 

**“You better hurry up and try, though. Because unlike the current you, I’m not afraid to kill my friends.”**


	45. Talc is Cheap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad you are all still liking the story!
> 
> I'm happy to be at the place I am in it, because everything is coming to light here soon and it gonna be some shiiiiiitttt!
> 
> Also im super good at geology puns now  
> Enjoy!  
> -Paigey

Sans was right about Hotland, it was definitely hot! Lava flowed around the land and passing over the bridge linking them was honestly heart attack- inducing, but Sans was there to help you through every step of the way.

Frisk had still not woken up, but Sans assured you that it wasn’t too far to the lab and once he got them there he could hopefully figure out what was going on. 

On the way to the lab, you noticed Frisk’s facial expressions. They seemed tense for a bit, their face squirming as though they were thinking hard or trying to fight against some sort of pain. You began to worry that this was more about what they had been dealing with since going underground, and not something physically being wrong with them. Another worrying sign was that Sans seemed to be slowing down a bit, and you weren’t sure if it was the extra carry weight, or something to do with his bond to Frisk.

The lab in Hotland looked huge from the outside, but inside it appeared to be one big room with two levels connected by escalators. There was a large computer monitor which was dead, a desk with a smaller computer and stacks of notes, a fridge, and a bag of dog food which was half full on the lower level. The upper level had bookshelves lined with books, tools of which you had never seen, an anime poster, and what appeared to be a nightstand with no bed next to it.

You went ahead and grabbed Frisk’s sleeping bag from their pack and laid it out on the ground. Sans gently set them on it before laying two fingers to their neck to monitor their pulse.

“everything still seems normal.” He said, “there’s gotta be something we can do, we can’t just leave them like this, and it’s too dangerous to carry them around to the core.”

“Is there, I don’t know, some sort of magic ability to help them snap out of it?” You asked.

Sans let out a small chuckle, “magic can’t heal something if we don’t know what’s wrong. it’d be neat if i could just wave my hand over them and have them wake up, but sadly it doesn’t work like that.”

You noticed how tired Sans was, he let out a sigh and rubbed his skull. You knelt down beside him and rested your hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, why don’t you take a rest for a bit. I can get everything set up for the night, maybe make us some food.” You told him.

He looked as though he was going to decline your offer, but hesitated a moment.

“that might be a good idea.” He said, “if you don’t mind.”

“Of course I don’t mind.” You said, “I’ll figure something out, you just worry about you and Frisk, okay?”

Sans nodded and you left him to start digging through the bags, contemplating on what to make for dinner… and also if you should tell him what you knew about the bond between him and Frisk.

 

* * *

 

Chara and Frisk stood facing one another still.

**“I’m waiting.”** Frisk said, tapping their foot impatiently.

“Look, Frisk.” Chara started, “I know what I did to you was wrong, I-”

**“Of course it was wrong!”** Frisk interrupted.

Chara sighed, “Can I just say what I need to say?”

Frisk resigned to silence, glaring holes through Chara.

“I never should have tried to possess you in the first place. I shouldn’t have talked you into doing all the horrible things you did… that we did.”

Frisk nodded and motioned for them to continue.

“I was angry, I wasn’t thinking straight.” Chara said, “But that doesn’t excuse what I did, and I know it never will.”

Frisk raised an eyebrow,  **“So, are you trying to make me feel bad for you with this sob story? Or…”**

“No, but I do want to explain my reasoning behind what I did.” They said, “Calmly this time.”

Frisk said nothing, just continued to stare. Chara took a breath and spoke again.

“You were right. We were enjoying ourselves. We both got something out of hurting others and toying with their lives. We’re both fucked up… But you became too powerful, the slaughtering became excessive, even for me.”

Chara took a moment to gather their thoughts again, sitting down in the process. 

“I just wanted it to be done with. I wanted to get rid of them, get out of there and live life as I wanted, but you wouldn’t let that happen. You just kept resetting before we could even get to the barrier… Then you killed As- Flowey, and I became unsure of what I actually wanted out of this.”

**“I remember the first time that happened.”** Frisk said,  **“I could feel how hurt and angry you were.”**

“Yeah, it was rough. Somehow I was hurt more by that than when we killed mom and dad.”

**“We always reset, though.”** Frisk pointed out.

“I know, but that was only to do it all over again. At first I became bored, but then I just felt like I was living a nightmare every time.”

Frisk also sat down, silently listening to what Chara had to say.

“And poor Sans. He knew something was up the entire time, but couldn’t put his finger on it. Even when we pointed out to him what was happening, he couldn’t remember it all when we reset again.”

**“It was around the 5th or 6th reset when he started taking the Determination vials from Alphys’ lab, thinking that it would help him remember more.”**

Chara nodded, “He could remember some things because he already had some of the Determination from Gaster’s experiments.”

**“I remember you telling me that.”** Frisk said,  **“I still don’t understand why he’d risk his life to try and figure us out.”**

Chara met their eyes, “Because he had already died so many times, and he knew the resets would keep happening, so what was one more time to him?”

Frisk’s eyes fell to the floor, thinking on Chara’s words.

**“The resets weren’t true resets. They affected lives permanently and I didn’t truly realize it, I guess.”**

“So there is a conscience in there after all?”

**“There used to be.”** Frisk said,  **“Before SOMEONE corrupted it.”**

“You still want to take over, then.” Chara aid grimly.

**“No shit, dumbass.”**

“Before you do that, will you listen to me one more time?” Chara asked, “I have a proposition for you.”

Frisk scowled, but kept the magic around them calm.

**“I’m listening.”**

 

* * *

 

You and Sans sat on the floor eating instant ramen, something that Alphys apparently loved and basically lived off of for a while. It was getting late, and the two of you still hadn’t been able to get Frisk to wake up.

“tomorrow i think i’m going to go down to the lower part of the lab and see if i can find something to help frisk. if not, we may need to contact the surface for help.” Sans said.

You nodded. You hated to hit this snag in this mission, but you hated even worse that something was wrong with your friend. Getting them help was the most important thing at the moment.

“Are you okay?” You asked, “I mean, I know not with this whole situation. Physically though, you look even more tired.”

“it’s complicated.” Sans said, “it feels like something is straining my magic, and i think it has something to do with frisk.”

You took a deep breath, guessing this was the best time as any.

“I know about the bond between you and Frisk. The shared dreams you both have.”

Sans blinked in surprise at first, then shook his head.

“normally i would be a little upset that they spoke about it, but i understand why they told you. and now i don’t have to explain it at least.” He said.

“It’s something with Determination, right?” You said.

“yeah, i just… i can’t remember how it happened, and frisk is a bit secretive over it.” 

You nodded, remembering the conversation you had with Frisk, about them doing terrible things and Sans not knowing about it.

“i feel like this,” He gestured to Frisk, “has something to do with it.”

“That makes sense.” You said.

“i just hope they wake up soon.” He said.

After eating, you decided it was time to go to sleep so you’d have plenty of energy in the morning. You and Sans both spread out your sleeping bags near Frisk, wanting to make sure they were close by in case something happened.

Sans was a few feet away from you, unrolling his sleeping bag, when he looked over at you.

“hey, nat.” 

“Yeah?” You asked, smoothing out and wrinkles on your ‘bed.’

“do you mind if i, uh, sleep next to you?” He asked.

It was honestly cute how nervous he seemed just asking that. Your heart thumped a little harder, and you had to remind yourself that you were just sleeping next to each other, that was all. He definitely wasn’t the type of guy to try and take advantage of you or anything, but you felt a little nervous as you thought on it.

“I don’t mind at all.” You told him, laying down on your sleeping bag and patting the cold, empty spot of floor next to you.

Sans smiled and dragged his bedding over, laying it out so the side was touching yours. He then grabbed his blanket and pulled it over him as he stretched out onto the bag.

“thanks.” he said.

You smiled, “It’s no problem, Sans.”

Unable to help yourself, you moved your hand to his, tangling your fingers together.

“I’m here for you.”


	46. All Ore Nothing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like some of these chapters have been pretty short lately, but I like getting something out every day lately lol. I hope it's ok with all of you!
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paigey

You woke up to a strange feeling, something so foreign to you, it took you a moment to realize what it actually was.

You were facing Sans, but his arms were wrapped around you, pulling you close to him. He seemed very content, happy even. You didn’t want to wake him up. Instead, you decided to snuggle closer to him, enjoying his warmth. His arms tightened around you, though not uncomfortably. 

You looked at his face, studying his features. It was interesting to you how different he was from an  _ actual  _ skeleton. For one, his eye sockets actually closed, which you were happy about… waking up to empty sockets would be a little frightening. Another thing was his bones, they really didn’t feel like bones at all. Laying there with him was a lot more comfortable than you’d ever imagined laying with a skeleton would be. (Not that you’d ever imagined that before, though.)

Reaching your hand up to his skull, you rested it against his cheekbone, gently rubbing your thumb over its smooth surface. You couldn’t deny that he was absolutely handsome, and you were definitely attracted to him.

It wouldn’t be too weird to just kiss him now, would it? While he was asleep?

You looked at his mouth, one thing that was very skeleton-like was that he didn’t have lips, so really you were just kissing his teeth. The few times you had kissed though, it didn’t feel too awkward. He was able to use his magic to make it feel completely natural.

You began to wonder what other things he could do with magic and your face began to burn. This wasn’t the time or place for those sort of thoughts. You were here on a mission to help all monster kind, and your best friend was lying unconscious not far away from you!

But one kiss wouldn’t hurt. Just to get it out of your system, right?

Closing your eyes, you leaned in and pressed your lips against his mouth. A few seconds passed before you felt the familiar tingling sensation. Had you woken him up, or had he already been awake?

There was a low, pleasant hum in his chest as he held you against him. His fingers went up to your hair, though it was covered by your sleeping cap. His mouth pressed even harder against yours and you couldn’t help but take him into your arms as well.

The makeshift bed suddenly felt much warmer, and you were only slightly surprised when something trailed across your lips, causing them to part. A tongue was not something you were expecting, but it was damn sure something you were welcoming now. Opening up, you invited it in, allowing your own tongue to mingle with his.

A soft moan escaped you and Sans shivered in response. The air around you seemed energized and chill bumps covered your skin as the kiss deepened further. You’d never been kissed like this before, it was really quite… 

_ Magical. _

You were disappointed when the kiss ended, but it did manage to leave you breathless.

“woah.” Sans spoke, “uh… good morning.”

You couldn’t help but giggle, “Hi.”

“was that, um,” he stumbled over his words as he made a little space between the two of you, “was that alright? i mean, i don’t want to force anything on you.”

You stifled another chuckle. He was really cute when he was unsure and nervous.

“You could’ve warned me that you had a tongue.” You said.

“what, this?” he asked, opening his mouth and producing a very human-like-except-for-the-blue-glow tongue.

“Woah.”

He smirked, “yeah, it’s one of my more  _ glowing  _ attributes.”

You burst into laughter, playfully pushing him away.

“That’s it. No more kissing for you!” You said.

“oh come on, that was a good one!” He laughed.

“You’re ridiculous.” You told him, “But it’s cute.”

He began to blush again.

“That’s also cute.”

Sans pulled the blanket up over his head.

“i’m going back to sleep now.” You heard his muffled voice say.

“You sure you’re still tired?” You asked with a crooked smile.

Sans pushed the blanket back off him and sighed.

“i’m probably more awake than i’ve ever been, honestly.” He said, “alright, let’s get up.”

You sat up and looked over, still seeing Frisk’s body in the same position you left them in.

“i’ll check on them.” Sans said, “you go ahead and take care of whatever you need to.”

You nodded and got up. You first grabbed your bag and headed to the bathroom to wash up. The entire time was spent thinking of kissing Sans, you really wanted to do that more often… and that lead to another thought.

What were you and Sans? Just friends? Do friends just kiss each other from time to time and make it a normal thing?

“Ugh, this is stupid.” You said to yourself in the mirror, “You don’t need to label everything, Nat.”

You guess it didn’t matter ‘what’ the two of you were, as long as you were happy with it… but still, you were curious as to what Sans thought of you.

Walking out of the bathroom, you found Sans making breakfast.

“it isn’t much.” He said, “but it’ll do for now.”

You took one of the bagels and sat next to him on the floor. You looked over at Frisk and frowned.

“Still nothing?”

“nope.” He said, “i’m honestly lost here. i have no idea what to do.”

“Maybe we should call the emergency number.” You told him.

He let out a breath, “yeah, that’s what i was thinking too. it can’t be good for them to be like this and not getting medical attention.”

You nodded and took another bite of your bagel. You felt bad for Frisk, how could this have happened?

“So, did Frisk just fall down here back then?” You asked, “I don’t think I ever really talked with them about it before.”

Sans looked over at Frisk, “i’m not sure, really. they had a bad home life and i think they just wandered off and got lost. they never really said if they fell accidentally or… if they jumped.”

“That’s really sad.” You said, “I’m glad they were okay. And I’m glad they made friends down here.”

“yeah. me too.”

\----

Frisk looked at Chara like they were insane.

**“You want to what now??”**

“It’s just a suggestion.” Chara said, “We could combine our souls.”

**“Wait, like some freaky soul bonding shit? Nah, dude, you are definitely not my type.”**

Chara rolled their eyes, “One, you wish. Two, no that’s not what I mean.”

Frisk narrowed their eyes, “ **Sooo, what do you mean then?”**

“I think there’s a way for us to literally become one person.” Chara said.

**“You know how ridiculous you sound, right?”** They said, “ **I mean, more than usual.”**

“Oh my god, you’re impossible.” Chara muttered, “Look, when I came to you, I was just a spirit, remember?”

Frisk nodded.

“My own soul is broken.” They explained, “I have pretty much been using your soul this entire time while mine is just, well… ugh, let me show you.”

Chara sat up straight and worked to pull a soul from their body, but only a few red fragments appeared in front of them.

“This is basically why I was a spirit. My soul was shattered, but it never truly died.”

**“Ok, but what would happen if we combined that with mine?”** Frisk asked.

“That’s the thing.” They said, “We’d literally become one person. Both of our traits would be present, but we’d be of one mind.”

Frisk raised a brow,  **“Aren’t you afraid that my personality may be more, I don’t know, dominant?”**

“That’s definitely a possibility.” Chara said.

**“Why would you risk it? Like you said, there’s no reset option now.”**

“I just think that’s the best option… for both of us.” They said, “You don’t deserve what I did to you, we both know that. But I’d rather take this risk than you just run loose with how much anger you’re holding onto right now.”

Frisk scowled,  **“I still don’t see how this helps me out when I could simply take you out of the picture right now.”**

“You’re right, you’re absolutely right.” Chara said, “But, please, Frisk. Don’t go out and do what you’re wanting to do right now. Please, don’t take out on them what I did to you.”

Frisk closed their eyes, considering Chara’s words. It was a long while before they met Chara’s eyes and spoke again.

**“Will you tell Sans the truth once this happens?”**

“I’ll definitely try, though I’m not sure how this is going to work if we-”

**“Promise me.”** Frisk demanded,  **“Promise me you will tell him everything. The resets, killing everyone, possessing my body for 15 years. Fucking. Promise. Me.”**

“I promise.” Chara said without hesitation.

Frisk took a deep breath and let it out.

**“How do we do this, and how long will it take?”**

 


	47. Au Revoir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hoooooo boy! :D
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

Sans grumbled, holding the phone in his hands. The machine was the only way of contact with everyone on the surface until they could get out of there. He’d been messing with it, going outside the lab to see if it would work. It wasn’t a normal phone, it wasn’t supposed to be difficult to use.

But it wasn’t fucking working.

“Still nothing?” Natasha asked, worry in her eyes as he walked back inside the lab.

“not even a dial tone.” He said, “what the hell do we do now?”

Natasha sighed and scratched her head, “I don’t know… Maybe we should continue. How far is it to the core? I can carry Frisk for a while.”

“i don’t want you to have to do that.” Sans said.

Natasha walked closer to him, “Sans, I am pretty strong, it won’t be too bad. We can take breaks here and there, or we can switch every little bit.”

Sans looked over to where his friend lay unconscious on the floor. A part of him wondered if getting closer to the core might help them if this was a magic issue.

Or, it might be the reason for this happening in the first place.

“I just don’t know.” he said, “i could go on ahead and-”

“Not to be rude, but I’m gonna have to say no to you going off on your own.” Nat said.

“i knew you’d say that.” he said, “then i guess it just comes to staying here and trying to figure something out, or continuing with frisk being unconscious.”

“You said something last night about going down to the lower parts of the lab.”

Sans nodded, “a lot of experiments were done down there, and i thought that maybe something down there might help… but i don’t know now. i’m not sure what i’d even be looking for.”

He watched as Natasha walked over to Frisk, kneeling down and laying a hand on their forehead. This was really difficult for her as well as him. This was someone they both cared dearly for, and not only did they not know how to help them, but they couldn’t even get in touch with anyone who might be able to.

Sans walked over and knelt down next to Nat, gently resting a hand on her shoulder, trying to think of something to say that could possibly make things better, but failing miserably.

“I don’t get it.” She spoke, “It’s like they just slipped into a coma.”

“magic can be very strange with humans, i’ve realized over the years.” Sans said, “frisk is a special case, it seems. they’re determination is unusually strong, and i feel like when they fell down here, their constant exposure to the magic affected it, strengthening it further… of course that’s just a theory of mine.”

“It makes sense. It was a closed off area around The Core where thousands of magical creatures lived, of course it would change them somehow.” Nat said.

Sans stood up once again and used his magic to begin packing the rest of their things.

“are you certain you can carry them?” He asked, “i just don’t want you overexerting yourself.”

“I could say the same to you.” She said, “But yeah, I’m sure.”

He nodded, “okay, but let me know if you need a break so i can take over.”

Nat agreed and took Frisk into her arms, cradling them against her carefully.

“Ready when you are.”

 

* * *

 

Frisk’s soul floated between them, glowing bright red with powerful determination. Chara held the shattered pieces of their’s in their palm, clearly hesitating.

**“You’re afraid, aren’t you.”**

“Of course I’m afraid. This is going to change everything.” Chara looked up from their hands, “You’re not?”

Frisk was silent, staring at their soul, their face expressionless. 

**“I’m ready for a change. I’ve** **_been_ ** **ready.”** They said.

Chara stepped closer to Frisk’s soul, but still didn’t make a move.

“I wonder how it would’ve been if I had never come to you.” They said, “I think about it a lot.”

**“I ask that question a lot too. But one thing that really bugs me is how you went from a cold blooded killing machine to acting like… like the old me.”**

Chara frowned, “I really feel like we switched places somewhere, and I don’t just mean physically. I remember what it was like to be so angry, so spiteful, like you are now.”

Frisk groaned and shook their head, taking a step closer to the middle.

**“Can we just do this? You’re stalling and it’s really annoying.”**

Chara held up the fragments of their soul close to Frisk’s whole one. They looked through to Frisk.

“Do you think we’ll still feel each other’s presence separately? Or-”

**“Chara, if you say one more goddamn sappy thing, I fucking swear-”**

“Ok, ok, I get it.” They said.

The two of them closed their eyes, focusing on their souls and the magic within. Slowly, the pieces of one began melding with the other…

 

* * *

 

There were elevators that moved through the 3 levels of Hotland. Sans said it would be much quicker to use them… if they weren’t broken down. 

Still, he assured you that he was going to make it work because ‘it’d be a bitch and a half to traverse this broken place with all this shit AND the kid.’

So there you stood in a small elevator with a bunch of bags, carrying your friend, and watching your other one try and work his literal magic on the control panel.

“You aren’t gonna accidentally send it flying into the lava, are you?” You asked.

“you’ve been hanging around frisk too long, you’re starting to sound like them.” He mumbled.

Smirking to yourself, but deciding to keep quiet, you watched Sans work. There were a few moments of him cursing, but it wasn’t long before he was able to transfer a bit of his own magic into the machine in order to get you to the 3rd floor.

The only downside was that, once outside the elevator again, Sans collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion. You carefully rested Frisk on the ground, their head propped up on one of the bags as a pillow, and hurried over to Sans.

“i’m alright, i’m alright.” He said, “just need to rest a moment.”

“Geez, Sans.” You said, laying a hand on his back, “Would it have really been more difficult than that to just walk?”

He let out a breathy chuckle, “you have no idea… just ask frisk about their journey through here once they wake up.”

You grabbed your bag and unzipped a small side pocket, pulling a candy bar out. 

“Here, eat this.” You told him, “Hopefully it’ll help.”

He grunted as he rolled over and pushed himself up into a seated position next to you. He took the bar from your hand, unwrapped it, and tossed the entire thing into his mouth.

“mmm. thanks.” 

You blinked a few times, uncertain of what you just witnessed. “Uh, yeah, sure… Shouldn’t you, I don’t know, chew your food?”

“eh, once it hits my body it basically dissolved into magic anyway.” he said, “give me a few minutes and we should be good to go.”

 

Once you started off again, it wasn’t long before you entered a resort-looking area. In the center stood the ruins of what used to be a statue of Mettaton, Sans told you. Apparently the robot was much more egotistical back in the day, especially since he was the biggest celebrity in the underground. This resort was one of the most popular places to stay, and it still looked pretty nice, considering.

“there’s a restaurant off to the left there, and there are rooms to the right. there’s an elevator to the second story but i’m pretty sure it still doesn’t work… and i’m not going to fix it because we don’t need it.” Sans said.

You smiled, “I wasn’t going to ask you to, but thanks for telling me.”

Heading to the hallway on the right, there was a line of rooms on each side. Sans walked over to the second one on the left and opened the unlocked door easily. Inside was a very large bed, with two end tables, each holding a mettaton-shaped lamp… and above the bed was a painting of Mettaton…. And on the other walls were Mettaton-ish decorations.

“Holy shit he’s everywhere.” You said.

“that was basically my every day living down here.” Sans said, “any time a tv turned on, it was mettaton, nearly every song, mettaton.”

“Eesh.” You mumbled, lowering Frisk onto the bed, “That’s just a little creepy.”

“imagine how i felt when he and my brother began dating.” He said, “he’s a lot better now, but it was a little strange there for a while.”

“So, how close are we to the Core now?” You asked.

“there’s literally a door straight through the resort with a neon sign above it that reads ‘core.’”

“Well that’s good.” You said.

“i figured we could rest for just a bit and then grab everything and head on in.” Sans said. 

“Sounds good to me.” You said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Sans reached into his backpack and pulled out the phone again, turning the screen on and attempting to call out. For a split second, he looked hopeful, but that hope was soon squashed by complete silence on the other end. He frowned, gripping the phone tightly in frustration.

“still nothing.” He said.

You pondered your options, “Maybe as we get closer to the Core, there will be-”

There was a stirring from behind you that caused you to forget your words and jump to your feet. A second movement from Frisk had you and Sans hurrying to their side.

Their fingers gripped the sheets beneath them, their face contorted by… pain? They turned their head to the side, and back again, groaning.

“Frisk, it’s okay.” You whispered, reaching out to rub their arm, “We’re here, you can wake up.”

Sans said nothing, but his eyes were fixed on his friend in silent worry.

After a little more thrashing, they started to calm down. Their breathing was hard, heartbeat racing, and they were pouring sweat, but finally they began to come to.

“Nat?” They spoke weakly.

You smiled, “It’s alright Frisk, we’re here.”

They seemed to cringe a bit at their name, “Is… Is Sans here too?”

“right here, kiddo.” he said.

“So, it’s done.” They spoke, their voice weak, “I’m back.”

“where did you go?” Sans asked.

Frisk blinked their eyes open, “It’s a long story.”

“well, we got plenty of ti-”

You both went silent as Frisk turned their face toward you. 

“Frisk, your left eye.”

Sans took a step back.

“It’s blood red.”

And another.

“What happened?”

“Let me explain.” They said, struggling to sit up.

Noticing his absence, you turned to look back at Sans, only to find him paler than usual, his eye sockets dark and cold.

“Sans?” You and Frisk said in unison.

Sans stood firm in place, glaring at Frisk through lifeless eyes.

“who are you, and what have you done with my friend?”


	48. What a Corundum!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lot's of flashbacks in this chapter to explain the resets and such. I'm super excited for the upcoming chapters, and I hope you are too!
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

This wasn’t Sans’ Frisk. At least, it didn’t  _ feel _ like them. It wasn’t just the fact that one of their eyes was red now, although that seemed oddly, and terrifyingly, familiar to him. The whole vibe of them was off, their soul was changed, he just knew it.

“Sans, please.” They spoke, sitting up.

He wasted no time pulling Nat away from them and reaching out, grasping their soul with blue magic to hold them in place.

“tell me who you are.” He demanded.

A look of hurt crossed their face and for a moment he almost let up, but he had to make sure they weren’t a threat first, for everyone’s sake.

“Sans,” Nat spoke up, her voice gentle and kind, “I don’t think they’re going to hurt us.”

“It’s okay, Nat.” Frisk said, “I expected something like this. I just need to explain everything.”

Sans stayed silent, waiting on them to start doing just that.

They took a deep breath and began.

~~~

_ Frisk had become increasingly bored of this place once they figured out the powers of resetting. Saving the monsters was nice, but they soon began to wonder what might happen if they actually attacked a monster instead of just talking with them. _

_ The first one was a bit of a shock as they crumbled to dust in the first hit, but some sort of power awakened within them, and their curiosity only grew stronger. _

_ … _

_ “Don’t you wonder what might happen if you killed all of them?” The spirit asked them, “Wouldn’t you like to have full control over this power? Aren’t you just a bit curious as to how many different paths you can take here? How many outcomes there are?” _

_ That did sound interesting. And they could always just reset if they weren’t happy… right? _

_ … _

_ They reloaded several times after killing Toriel, and then Papyrus, before finally continuing on, leaving them dead. _

_ They looked back toward Snowdin as Papyrus’ ashes lay at their feet. They had just spent time training with him, right after he had made them breakfast spaghetti. _

_ What was Sans going to say? _

_ They could never return. Not with these sins crawling on their back _

_ … _

_ It became easier as they went, to see the monsters wither away into nothing. Undyne was a tough battle, but they bested her too. Mettaton went down quickly, and Muffet as well. It was only when they got to Sans that they began to realize their mistake. _

_ “kids like you should be burning in hell.” _

_ They couldn’t defeat him for a while, and eventually they reset the timeline to play some more. And play they did. They no longer felt bad for their actions. They rather enjoyed seeing how many monsters they could take out, and what would happen if they left some alive and killed others.  _

_ The spirit grew stronger within them, thriving on their bloodlust. _

_ … _

_ They finally killed Sans, watching him bleed the determination he’d been stupidly injecting himself with. They smiled as he walked away, collapsing just out of view, but they knew he was finally dead. With that, they went toward new home, where they were set on slaughtering the king. _

_ But the stupid flower kept popping up, slowing them down. Flowey had hoped that his old pal Chara was back, but they weren’t Chara… they were stronger. _

_ Stomping the flower into the earth was a wonderful feeling for them. But the spirit within them felt a single pang of guilt. They smiled, reloaded, and crushed his stupid face in several more times. _

_ … _

_ “I can’t let you continue doing this.” The spirit said, “This isn’t fun anymore, this is just sickening.” _

_ “Want me to go back and murder little Azzy again?” Frisk warned with a smile, “I’ll figure out a new way to kill him this time.” _

_ Chara couldn’t handle it anymore, and they rested as the timelines reset, letting their power grow stronger in Frisk. They silently watched as Frisk spent time playing and hanging out with monsters before literally stabbing them in the back. They glared through the eyes of their host at the horrible actions that even Chara wouldn’t commit.  _

_ When the time was right, at Frisk’s moment of weakness, Chara struck, and they won. They were near the end of the current run, stepping into the great hallway where Sans awaited them. _

_ Sans knew about the timelines now, but Chara, in Frisk’s body, tried to persuade him that they were going to make things right, but of course he didn’t believe them. How many times had they killed his brother and all of his friends? _

_ “I’m gonna set this right. I’m finally going to do the right thing.” _

_ … _

_ So they attempted a true reset, but something went wrong. Chara was still in control of Frisk, and Sans, though not being able to remember much of the other timelines, still held a few memories. Not only that, but the determination in his soul seemed to call out to Frisk’s in some sort of bond, it wasn’t long after they broke the barrier that they began to see each others dreams. _

_ But this last go around, Chara decided to spend a little time with the monsters before saving them. They really got to know them, and for once, they felt happy, like they were doing the right thing. _

_ All while Frisk screamed at them from inside their mind. _

~~~

Sans was in too much shock to keep a hold on their soul once they began speaking of timelines, and by the time they finished telling him of what had just recently happened while they were unconscious, he wasn’t sure how he was even still standing.

“I meant to tell you.” They said, shaking from having been crying throughout their story, “I wanted to tell you years ago, but I was scared. I didn’t want you to hate me.”

Sans was shaking, he wasn’t sure how to feel. A part of him was angry that all of this happened, but the other half of him knew that it was all in the past, and nothing could change it, so there really wasn’t a reason to be too angry with them.

“i still don’t really understand.” he said, “but the dreams make sense now, certain things i remember make sense.”

“It’s going to take a while for all of it to sink in.” Frisk said, “And… I understand if you don’t want to talk to me anymore.”

Sans looked at them in surprise. Sure, what they did was absolutely horrible. And sure, he was a little angry. But they’d been friends for so long, and completely shutting them out wasn’t even an option in his mind.

He walked over to the bed and pulled them into a hug, letting them sob all over his jacket.

“it’s alright, kiddo… i mean, what you did wasn’t alright, but it’s over and done with, and you’ve tried to make up for it as best you could.” Sans said, rubbing their back.

10 years ago, had they told Sans all of this, he would’ve probably yelled at them and stopped talking to them for a while. But he was older now, and a lot wiser, as well as calmer… for the most part.

Frisk kept repeating ‘I’m sorry.’ as they still cried against Sans, and Natasha, who had silently been standing out of the way this entire time, walked over and sat beside Frisk, resting one hand on their shoulder while attempting to discreetly wipe at her eyes with the other.

“i do have one question.” Sans asked.

Frisk sniffed, pulling back from Sans, “What’s that?”

“are you wanting to go by frisk still? or chara?”

They looked up at him, the eeriness of the one red eye still giving him chills.

“Frisk.” They said, “I’ve always been Frisk to everyone, and I still am Frisk… just with a little extra personality now.”

Sans snorted, “oh no, not more personality, i don’t know if we can handle more of that from you.”

They smiled and let out a small laugh as they wiped away their tears. Other than the eye, this certainly looked like the same kid Sans helped raise, and there was still familiarity with their soul… but if the real Frisk had been so unstable that Chara had to possess them, what did that mean for them now that they were one?

Could Sans still trust them? Fully?

“Nat.” They spoke again, turning to Natasha, “I’m sorry that I dragged you into this. I should’v-”

“Shhh.” Nat shushed Frisk, wrapping her arms around them. “It’s alright. You never meant harm to us. I’m not mad or anything.”

Sans smiled at the exchange. Did Natasha trust them still?... Of course she did. She had no reason not to, and he didn’t have a reason either. Though that didn’t mean he wouldn’t still be cautious around them.

“Are you hungry?” Nat asked them.

Frisk’s eyes widened slightly, “Holy shit, yeah, I’m really hungry. Fuck!”

Sans and Nat couldn’t help but laugh.

“kiddo you’ve been asleep for over a day, i’m sure you feel like you’re starving.” Sans said.

“Oh shit, it’s been that long?!” Frisk asked.

Sans and Nat nodded, which prompted Frisk to actually take in their surroundings.

“I’m surprised you two got me to the resort.” They said.

“it wasn’t easy.” Sans said, “but we thought that getting close to the core might help somehow.”

“That and we couldn’t get the emergency line for the surface to work.” Nat added.

“Really? Geez, it’s a good thing I didn’t let the other plan happen then.” Frisk said.

Sans raised a brow bone, “other plan?”

“Oh, uh, with me- I mean, old Frisk, taking over Cha- I mean me, FUCK!” They put their face in their hands, “Sorry, this is still very confusing at the moment. It’s like, I’m one person, but I  _ know _ how it is to be two people and I’m gonna have to get used to that.”

Nat patted their shoulder, “You will, with time. For now, let’s fix you up something to eat.”

She stood and walked over to her belongings, and Frisk looked to Sans again.

“You promise you don’t hate me?”

Sans rolled his eyes and ruffled their hair like old times.

“yeah, frisk, i promise.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any questions, comments, or constructive criticism, please leave them below! I really do appreciate it! :)


	49. H2Ohh Nooo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When it rains, it pours. Amiright?
> 
> Enjoyyy  
> -Paige

The three of you stood in front of the large set of double doors that lead to The Core. This was it, the final piece of the mission. None of you knew what waited behind those doors, but you were hopeful that it would hold the answer to saving the monsters living on the surface.

“alright, ready?” Sans asked.

You and Frisked nodded, situating the bags on your backs. Sans lifted up the last few and stepped up to the door, pushing it open easily.

Walking through, the scenery around you went from slightly dim, to very dark. The bridge you crossed felt slightly unstable, but you focused on the light you could see up ahead.

“It’s a little surprising to see that it still has some sort of power.” Frisk said.

Sans made a noise of agreement, keeping his eyes steady on the upcoming gate.

Stepping into the light, You became aware of just how high-tech the whole place looked. Wires seemed to run throughout the floor and walls. Another elevator was straight ahead, two hallways flanking it. Sans stepped up to the elevator, looking over the control panel in front of it. He grumbled after a moment.

“it’s broken, of course.” He said.

“The right looks caved in.” Frisk noticed.

“Guess that leaves the left side.” You said, starting off in that direction.

A chill ran up your spine as you stepped through yet another doorway. The next room held quite a few machines that you didn’t recognize, all lining the outer walls. The entryway at the other side had a large, strange figure above it. It kind of resembled a bird. Some sort of monster symbol, maybe?

Frisk shivered, “I have a bad feeling about this.” They whispered.

“me too, kid.” Sans said, “we all need to stick together.”

There was another hall, and then another walkway. This place just kept feeling like a winding maze full of old, broken down machinery that made you feel uncomfortable. It didn’t help that, with every few steps, it seemed like a small quake rumbled at your feet. 

You were just about to ask about the quakes when all of the lights shut off, leaving the three of you in complete darkness.

“Hold on, I got a flashlight in here somewhere.” Frisk said. You could hear them rummaging through their bag. “Just stay still until I find it.”

.

☠̡͍͍̞̱̑̏̉̈✌̛͈̫̤̜̺͙̦̔̾̍͠❄̡̺̲͚̠̜̮͍͉̯͒͛͊͊́͋̃̕͠✌̛̛̻̙̭͚̙̑̃͑̈͂̂͘͢͠�̸̧͍̹͉͕̈́̀̽̾͘�̵̯̺͚̞̟̫͍̂̓̓̒̎̚͘͢͜͞☟̴̢̼̩̮̖̟̭̎̃̔̑̈͑̒͢͢✌̵̡̗͍͔̤̱͖̖̫̲͂̒̏̊͌͊͒͝

.

You turned toward the voice you’d heard, “Hello?”

.

�̸̠̣̠̟̼̯̇͒͑̾͛̊̈̅͠�͉̣̪͎͖̗̾͊̍̑̈͘͟͠□̛̙̗͚̰͚͛͗̄̉❍̶̨̬̯̤͖̬̒̌̔̒̏͌͗̋̋̊͟ͅ♏̵̰͎̣̦͈̠̘̯̀̄̃̓̓̕͘͟͠ ♒̵̧̱̪͎̳̘̙̪͒̋́̅̽͊͜ͅ♏̛̫̭͕̼͒͑̍̎̈́͌̓͘͢❒̱̬̬̣̝͋͐̒͗̚♏̡̛͇̮̪̞͍̙̟̒̄͛̄̐͠͝͡͝

 

You took a step forward, and then another. You could hear Sans saying something to you, but you didn’t listen, you couldn’t. You kept walking forward.

 

☹̧̢̛͉̺͍̘̹̠̌̓̊͂̊͂̍͡͡♏̢̛͇̩̟̣̭͕͒͌̋̀͂͢͡͝⧫̵̜̟͔͉̲̩̭̩̹̇̿͑̂̆̒͢ ❍̵̢̮̰̳̞̐͒̎͂̚͞♏̸͕̠̦̰͇͉̘͊̈́̂̀͠ ⬧̛̖̯̹̥͍͑̃͐̾͟͜͜͡͠ͅ♏̧̡͉̫͈͒̈̿͆̓͑͘͢͡ͅ♏̣͈̦͕͋̊̈́̽̌̾͟͟͢ͅ ⍓̢̨͇̯̪̞͉̖̺̎͊́̕͝□̢̨̞̖̣̘̱̓̆́̈́͒̚◆̨̡̢̡͎̠̬͕̗̔̑̓͡❒̛̦̦̮̲̤͚͊͒̏̔̈ ⬧̮̣̜̙̗̩̖̓̃͒̐̑̕͟ͅ□̡̛̭̮̝͎̬̍͆̑̓̑̓̑͞◆͖͕͉͔͓͐̌̄̍͡●̷̰̝͔̫̖̙͔̖̏̈͌̒̔͛̍͋̕͡ͅͅ

 

“I don’t… understand.” You spoke, your voice sounding slurred and foreign to your own ears.

 

�̴̨̨ͩ͗̏ͦͥͪ̓͜͡�̶̢ͮ̀̆̾̑̒ͪͩ̾̅͜□̸̡ͦ͋̓͗̓̆ͩ̈́̏͑ͬ̄̕❍̔͒͌ͪ̽ͣͤ̌͌͛ͯ͏̴̢♏̸̨̅̍ͫ̅ͯ͞͏̶ ̶ͥ̿̾͊̓̏̈ͬͯ̑̏̓̆ͮ͟♍̛̇̒͑ͭ̔̌̏͛̔͆̚̕͠●̵̊͂̾ͩ͐͊̓̆̍̈́̒ͤ̋ͯ̍ͤ̍̕□̷̢̡ͨ̎̔͊̋͌̐̇͊̌̇͊̊̇̈́̓͘͠⬧ͪͥ͊͏̢̛♏̵̢̨͛͒̅❒̧̢̡̢̛̐ͣͮͯ̈ͬ̆̌

You heard Sans yell out again, but you couldn’t stop.

 

 

❄̥̺̪̞͉̫̫̦̪̰̪̘̪͈̜̝̪̹̔͑ͨͩͬ̾ͯ̍̇̊ͮͩ̓̈ͤ̍̌̏̕͞͞ͅ☟ͭ̓̾͐ͣ̎̈́͝͝͞҉̺͇͔̭̖̪͚͓̹̞͚̠̖͚ͅͅ✋̾̋́͆̄̓͏̨͈̘̻̟̹͖͡�̷̦̪͕͎͎̪̜͙̹͖͎͉̬ͦ͐̔ͧ͐̅ͯ͆ͯͦͣͯ̂͑͂̏�̵̵̷̨̮̣̻͙̤͈̭̗̭̥̠̓̾ͣ̇͂͂ ̛̫̗̠̲̤͚̬̠̽ͮ̂ͤͣ͋ͧ͆͌̇͌͝�̵̐ͧ̉̎ͭ̚͏̸̛̹͔͈͖͈̖̻̼̺͉̣̱͘�̵̷̣̻̣̱̹̦̮̯̙̠̦͔͔͖̖̤͋̎ͣ͑̂ͯ͑͂͡✋̵̷͕̯̤̱͉͈̗̳̯̙̞̑ͮ̾̾͗̀̍ͯ̊̉̊͛ͦͅ☹̷̨̡̛̺̖͇͉͚͕̲̪̤͇̟̠̼̞̪̫́ͨ̑͛̔͛ͮͯ͂ͣ͆ͧͩͩ̒ͬ̓͊͞☹̵̴̢̧̯̰͕͎̪̦̳̹̭͇͍̺̦̣̤̳̭ͪ̐́͗̏̓̾͘ ͐̽̄̌ͦ̓̂ͮ̄̔ͧ̓ͮ̌̏̚҉̙͙̮̜̲̰͘⚐̶̢̮͍̪̟̭̞͖̖̗̩̪̥̬̖̼̺͎̮̤͑͐́̾͑͋̏ͦ̅͐ͪ͋̾ͪ͆͝͡☠̦̞̫͎͇̬̰̞̝ͨ̿ͥ͒͐̉ͬ̋̊̃ͫ̓̚͞͝͝ͅ☹̶̍̓̇ͤ̉ͦ̿ͮ̈ͦ̐̀ͯ̇̋͢͠҉̻̱̫̦͍̹͔͍̮̬͘✡̸̡̧̹͓̰̩̄͆̎̉ͮ ̴̢̻̖̱̻͓͉ͭͧ͌ͭͫ͒̀͞☟̐͑̋͐͂͏̸̦̩͙̘̼̝͈͕̖͔̱͇͜͠�̴̷̸̯̥͎̰͓͔̳̞̗̗̫̖͑͐̽̒͐̏̔̅͟�̨̺̹̩ͫͥ͂̍̎͐̕☼̳̤̣̯̠̤ͯ͗̉̑ͪ͜❄̡̠̮̣͔̞̥̙̩͉̏̑͛̾̓͌͝ ̨̡̨̮͚̮͊ͥ̒̽ͥͨ̓̐ͬ̚̕✌̵̂̆͋̌ͮ̃ͬ̅̃ͦ̈ͬ́ͬͧ͝҉͈̞̻̲̤̳̗ ̸̶̨̧͇͔͔͍̙̭̂́ͯ͋ͣ̓͂̉̑̉̅ͨ͝�̢̆́̌̽ͧͯ͂̆̅̄ͥͧͧͣ̑͏̼̰̪̦͔̫̗�̵̛̤͎̞̙̳̱͉ͥ̈́̄ͮ̓̊͐̿̈́͌͊͝͡ͅͅ✋̵̰̠̥̼ͮͥ̂̿ͧ̕❄̶̨̻̯̤̮̭̙̣̜̦̫̜̱̫͈̉̿̂ͧ̄̄ͣ̎̌̎ͫ̌̐̐͟͠ͅ ̧̠̼̦̲̣̲͎̲̦͖̳͎͕̖̗̬̞̳͑ͩͥ͐͋̉̒̎ͣ̓ͫ͋̀ͫ̔̂̇̚͘͟͠ͅ

 

 

With a sudden pop, your body felt ice cold. You stared in awe and horror as a deep blue heart was pulled from your body: Your soul. It floated out in front of you, slowly spinning in the air, lighting up the area surrounding it.

“what the hell?” You heard Sans behind you.

In sections, the lights in the hallway came back on, and on the other side of your soul stood a creature you’d never seen before. It sort of resembled a skeleton with a cracked skull. It wore a long, black… coat? No, it seemed to be a part of the monster. The bottom of it flowed outward slightly, the ends tapering off in a smoke-like fashion. It held a hand up to its chin and you noticed the hole going straight through its palm.

“Interesting.” it spoke clearly, its voice deep and gravely, “It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to see a human soul.”

“gaster.” Sans spoke, stepping up beside you, “let her go.” He growled.

Gaster gazed over at Sans with a curious look, “Sans, I haven’t seen you in years and this is the way you choose to talk to your father.”

Sans inhaled sharply, “you’re no father of mine. put her soul back, she has done nothing to you.”

Gaster studied Sans for a moment before looking back at you and gently sending your soul back to your body. The warmth was wonderful as it spread throughout you, and you felt alive again.

“Sorry to have startled you, I merely wished to see who has entered my home. I haven’t had any visitors in so long and-”

Gaster’s eyes fell upon Frisk.

“The anomaly... “ He whispered.

Sans stepped in front of Gaster, “what do you want?”

Gaster locked eyes with him, “We can discuss what I want later… I believe the most important thing right now is getting the three of you to what you need.”

Sans narrowed his sockets, “how would you know about that?”

Gaster turned and began walking off down the hall, “Follow me and I shall explain.”

Sans hesitated, looking after the tall figure for a moment before turning back to you.

“are you okay?” He asked.

“Yeah, I think so.” You said, though you did feel like you had been extremely violated in some way.

He looked to Frisk, “you recognize him, don’t you.”

They nodded silently, their eyes wide in shock and a bit of fear.

“He said he was your father.” You said.

Sans nodded slowly, “yeah, but… i’m not sure how he could be here. i don’t trust it.”

“I feel like this is a trap.” Frisk said.

“knowing gaster, it most likely is.” Sans said, “stick close and watch your back.”

“Are you going to stand there all day questioning my motives or are you going to actually finish your mission?” Gaster called back.

The three of you caught up to Gaster and began to follow him through the Core.

“aren’t you supposed to be dead, old man?” Sans asked.

Gaster barked out a laugh, “Yes, well, magic has a funny way of preserving us monsters, doesn’t it?”

“so is this where you’ve been all this time?”

“Well, I traversed the Void for a while, trying to find pieces of myself after my body was shattered.” Gaster said, “Eventually I was able to find The Core again and bring myself back, for the most part.”

Gaster eventually stopped walking and turned to look at you all.

“Now, if my hypothesis is correct… and it usually is. You are looking for the source of the Underground’s magic, yes?”

“yeah.” Sans answered.

“Well, I can certainly help you out with that. Though I am afraid I did some damage when I pulled myself from the Void.”

Sans clenched his jaw in frustration, “what do you mean ‘damaged.’”

“Exactly what I said, damaged. The source is a lot weaker now. I had to use a lot of magic to free myself, and now the area is, well… nearly depleted.”

“So how do we fix it?” Frisk spoke up.

“It will take a lot of work, and will be impossible to fix on your own.” Gaster said, “But I can help you.”

“what’s the catch?” Sans asked without hesitation.

“There is no catch.” He answered, “You’re free to do as you please.”

You jumped, grabbing ahold of Frisk as the door behind you sealed itself shut.

“As long as you stay within the confinements of the Core.” 

Sans sighed, “well it’s not like we were going to leav-”

“And you allow me to run tests on the anomaly.” Gaster added, looking toward Frisk again.

Your grip on them became tighter.

“what?! hell no, we’re not here to become one of your insane experiments!” Sans told him.

Gaster smiled, “Then you want all of your friends on the surface to die? How sad.”

Sans glared at the taller monster, “i should be shocked, but i’m really not. i expected this out of you.”

Frisk patted your arm and you let go of them, watching helplessly as they stepped closer to the two skeletons.

“What kind of tests would there be?” 

“frisk, don’t.” Sans started.

“I would much like to study your soul.” Gaster explained, “You are quite an interesting specimen, and it seems that you’ve changed even more since I last saw you.”

“these would only be tests though… right?” Sans spoke up, stepping a bit closer to Frisk, “you aren’t going to be doing anything damaging to them.”

A low chuckle rumbled in Gaster’s chest.

“I will do as I please to further my research, or you can forget going back to the surface. You would do well to remember that.”

Gaster turned and began walking again. 

“There are rooms here for each of you to stay in, and while they are certainly not as comfortable as I’m sure you are used to, they will have to do for now.” 

You looked over at Frisk, who’s eyes were glued to the floor as they walked. You reached over and grabbed their hand, squeezing it to let you know you were there for them. They gave to a silent smile and slipped back into their thoughts.

After a bit more walking, Gaster stopped in front of a room and opened the door. The inside looked similar to a hospital room.

“Either of the humans can stay in here.” Gaster said.

“Can we stay together?” Frisk asked.

“Hmm… I suppose that will be alright.”

“What about Sans?” You asked.

“Oh, Sans will have his own area, don’t worry about him.” He said, “After all, I will need him close by to help out with my work. Now, I will leave you two to get settled in. Sans, if you would follow me.”

Gaster started walking again, but Sans held back.

“look, we’ll get out of here soon. just... do what he says for now.” He said, “don’t worry.”

You looked into his eyes. You weren’t sure if he was saying it more for you and Frisk, or for himself.

“We’ll be alright.” Frisk said.

You nodded in agreement, unable to find any real words of encouragement at the moment. Sans reached out and squeezed your free hand before turning to follow Gaster.


	50. A Lot on My Plate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will make one thing known:  
> this Gaster is not 'evil.'  
> but he IS a giant asshat.
> 
> Also, we hit chapter 50! WHAT?! Thank you to those who have stuck by me and this story, even when I all but abandoned it. Truly, thank you. I WILL finish it!
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

Sans was very confused, and extremely concerned. He wasn’t too surprised by his creator’s reappearance, if anyone could figure out a way to cheat death, it would be Gaster. What he was really confused about was what exactly he wanted from them. Was studying Frisk just a part of his twisted hobby of figuring out how everything and everyone works, despite hurting them? Or was there some ulterior motive behind it?

Sans suspected the latter. Gaster was mysterious, but one thing was for absolute certain: He would get what he wanted, no matter what the cost.

Strangely, he found himself more angry at the fact that Gaster had pulled out Natasha’s soul than him trapping them all there. The soul was the most precious part of someone, monster or human. Gaster knew this, and Sans was sure that was one reason he did it, to show them that he meant business.

Sans was glad that he’d only pulled it out and looked it over. A chill ran up his spine at imagining anything else happening to your soul. Guessing that you’d never had anything done to your soul physically before, he knew that it would’ve been extremely overwhelming. 

Still, the image of your soul floating there was burned into his mind and made him feel fearful, protective, and… jealous?

“I’m honestly surprised to have seen you make it this far, Sans.” Gaster spoke as they walked, “You were very weak when I last saw you.”

Sans rolled his eyes, “yeah, well, things change.”

“They certainly do… Tell me, how is that brother of yours, Papyrus?”

“he’s doing very well.” Sans said, a bit of pride rising in him. After Gaster had fallen, he basically raised Papyrus.

“That is good. It would have been nice to see him. It’s been too long.”

‘not long enough.’ Sans thought. The last thing he wanted was for Gaster to pop back into Pap’s life. He barely remembered him anyway.

“so, what exactly are you wanting me to help you with here?” Sans asked, intent on getting Gaster’s mind off of his brother.

“I have decided to pick up where I left off on my research, before the incident.” He said, “Though most of my notes seemed to have disappeared, I do remember quite a bit. I will just require your help with the rest.”

Sans studied him as they walked, suspicious as to what the actual work entailed. He couldn’t exactly remember what Gaster had been working one before he fell into the Core.

They stopped in front of a set of double doors in which Gaster swung open to reveal a large lab that Sans had never seen before. How long had the old man been down here?

“There are numerous tests I would like to run on the anomaly.”

“frisk.”

Gaster raised a brow bone, “Excuse me?”

“they’re name is frisk.” Sans told him.

Gaster looked at him curiously for a moment before turning back to the room.

“Well there are many more things I would like to know about this… Frisk.”

“i’m sure they could tell you anything you’d like to know if you’d just ask.” Sans said.

Gaster shook his head, “Sans, you know I mean things that they would not even know… I need to study them, take a good look at their soul, figure out their power.”

“pretty sure you don’t  _ need  _ to.” Sans muttered.

Gaster ignored him and closed the doors before continuing down the hall.

“You will get to know your way around the lab later. Let me show you to your room so you may go ahead and get settled in.”

Sans followed close behind, but the destination wasn’t far away. Gaster opened the door to a small room which held 1 bed and a desk with a chair and lamp.

“This will be your room. There’s a desk in here for you to do some work on days you will not be in the lab, or for late nights.”

“wait, how long are you planning on us staying here?” Sans asked.

“As long as it takes.” Gaster said, “I am unsure myself, but it might be quite a while. There are many projects I need help completing, and the main part of the Core will definitely take some time to fix up again.”

Sans stepped into his room, using his magic to set his bags on the bed.

“I’m afraid it is running rather late, and I’m sure you and the humans are hungry.” Gaster spoke, “There is a dining area further down this hallway and to the left. I would like the three of you to meet me there in an hour.”

Before Sans could ask anything else, Gaster was gone. Sans couldn’t shake the suspicious feeling hanging heavy in his skull. Sure, Gaster was acting warm and welcoming at the moment, but it was a ruse, nothing more.

 

* * *

 

You and Frisk unpacked your bags in silence for a while. You still felt shaky from the sudden change of events, and you knew that Frisk had to be uneasy too. 

“Hey, Nat.” Frisk eventually spoke, their voice soft, “Are you doing alright?”

“Yeah.” You told them, “I feel a little weird, but other than that I’m okay.”

Frisk nodded and sat on the edge of one of the beds, “I get that… that was the first time your soul was away from your body, yeah?”

You nodded and sat next to them.

“That’s some shit.” They said, “What a douche, you don’t just go around pulling out souls.”

“Don’t monsters do that when they fight?” You asked.

“Yeah, there’s a few reasons to expose one’s soul, but to do it without permission just to have a look-see is horrible.” They said, “Flowey was the first to ever pull out my soul, and it was terrifying.”

“I felt almost dead.” You said, “I was really cold, and just felt empty.”

“That can happen if the monster doing the pulling isn’t careful, or doesn’t have pure intentions.” 

Your brows furrowed, “So you’re saying that if a monster had good intentions, I wouldn’t feel empty?”

“Yeah. For instance, monsters will regularly share souls if they are romantically involved.” They cut their eyes at you and smiled mischievously.

“Why are you looking at me that way?”

They grinned wider, “Let’s say if you and a certain someone decided to take it to the next level…”

_ Oh. _

“You’d feel a hell of a lot more comfortable in that situation.” They said.

You raised a brow, “Sounds almost like you’re speaking from experience.”

They laughed, “Well, I’ve had my soul exposed a lot, under many different circumstances, so I guess I am.”

A knock at the door made the both of you jump.

“hey, it’s me.” Sans’ muffled voice came through, “you two decent?”

“That depends on your definition of decent.” Frisk called out.

Sans opened the door and stepped in, “i’m taking that as a ‘yes.’”

“Rude.” Frisk said, “For all you know, Nat could’ve been naked.”

You planted your face firmly into the palm of your hand.

Sans ignored Frisk, “so gaster wants us to meet him in the dining area down the hall in about an hour.”

“He’s going to feed us?” You asked.

“He better, it’s the least he could do since he’s trapped us here.” Frisk said.

“seriously.” Sans said, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets and leaning against the door frame, “look, i don’t know what kind of crap he has planned, but we all need to watch our backs.”

“Definitely.” Frisk said, “Did he say what sort of tests he was wanting to run on me.”

Sans shook his head, “he hasn’t given detail on anything yet, but i won’t let him do anything invasive.”

“If it will help us get out of here-”

“we will find a way without it.” Sans cut them off.

The three of you spent the rest of the next hour walking through what they could of the Core, finding out where everything and trying to point out possible escape options… of which there weren’t any.

You ended up sitting down in the dining room a little early. The room itself looked more like a small break room in an office building of some sort. The table you all sat around was pretty small, and there was little more than a fridge, microwave, and coffee pot on the counters.

Gaster eventually swept into the room, using his magic to produce extra hands that floated out ahead of him, carrying a large pot. You watched as he set the pot on the counter and grabbed 4 bowls from a cabinet, proceeding to scoop out the contents of the pot and fill each bowl. He grabbed some silverware and brought the food over to the large table, setting each one down in front of the individual.

You looked at the food, unsure of what it was and too uncomfortable to ask. It smelled like stew, so that was a good sign… or you hoped, at least.

“I did my best to prepare a proper meal for all of us.” He said, sitting down with his own bowl, “I hope it is to your liking.”

You held your spoon, but decided to watch the others first. Sans scooped some of his up and stared at it a moment before shoveling it in. Frisk locked eyes with you, likely having the same hesitation you were.

Not wanting to be rude, you took a little bit onto your spoon and ate it. Surprisingly, it tasted good! Like a nice, home cooked meal after a long day of working.

“I wanted to discuss a few things, since I have you all here.” Gaster said, “I am undecided at the moment where I will begin with my work in the morning, since I have quite a few options now.”

“why don’t we start with figuring out what’s happening with the magic?” Sans said, “monsters are dying every day on the surface. that needs to be top priority.”

Gaster waved a hand in Sans’ direction, “Don’t worry, we will get to that. I understand the urgency, and I am not heartless, we will get it done.”

Sans narrowed his eyes at him, but kept eating silently.

“But we will also be continuing my work on souls… specifically human souls.”

You stared into your food, not daring to look up at the monster.

“I’m sure all of you are well aware just how powerful human souls are,” Gaster said, “But there are still so many mysteries waiting to be uncovered!”

Sans placed his spoon into his empty bowl and sat back in his chair, “and just how are you planning on discovering these mysteries.”

“Well, there are a few things we could do, but I will warn that they will require removing the soul and running tests on the.”

You began to feel cold at the thought of him pulling out your soul again.

“i don’t think that is wise.” Sans said.

Gaster shook his head, “Oh Sans, you were never the type to do what needed to be done in the name of science.”

“i was just never the type to force someone into a situation and put their life at risk.”

Gaster sighed, “That’s what I’m talking about. Sometimes lines need to be crossed!”

Sans glared at him, “why do you need this information, gaster? Just for your own, sick pride?”

Gaster locked eyes with Sans, “There are many things you have yet to learn, and if you will actually listen to me and help me, you might come to know them, son.”

Sans scowled, but said nothing further. You and Frisk finished up eating while Gaster rambled on about the numerous discoveries he made in the field of science as the old royal scientist. You listened out of respect, but the whole time you watched Sans glare holes through him. You understood the need for paranoia, but Sans seemed so angry… what happened between those two?

“I must take my leave now,” Gaster said, standing from the table, “Feel free to move around the open areas as you like, but I must request that you go to bed early. There will be much to do tomorrow.”

With that he walked back out the way he came, leaving the three of you to worry about what tomorrow’s events might hold.


	51. For the Crater Good

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so, we're coming up on National Novel Writing Month and I have decided to participate this year! I am excited and nervous! I'm attempting to get another chapter or 2 done to have ready to release while I'm working on my novel, and I will also try to work on some new chapters as well, but they might be slow coming out, just letting yall know!
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr (link in bottom notes) if you want to keep up with my progress! Thanks! :D
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

Frisk was gently shaken awake, a boney hand touching their arm. They groaned, refusing to open their eyes.

“This better be Sans, or so help me this will not go well for you.” They muttered.

“yeah, yeah, it’s me.” Sans said, “come on, i know you don’t want to get up, but dings wants you in the lab.”

Frisk popped an eye open, “What did you just call him?”

“dings... short for wing dings, his name.” He said.

“Oh are you two on nickname basis now?” They asked, pushing themselves out of bed.

“just easier than saying his name.” He said, “also, i think it annoys him, so that’s a plus.”

Frisk stretched their arms and shook off the last bit of sleep before turning to look over their shoulder at their roommate. Nat was still sleeping peacefully in her bed.

“leave her be, he didn’t say anything about her.” Sans said.

“Rude. It’s not fair that she gets to sleep in.” They turned to Sans, “Look, she may be your girlfriend, but I was here first!”

Sans shook his head, “she’s not my girlfriend.”

“Pff, that little blush on your face says otherwise!” Frisk teased, poking at his cheekbone.

“oh come on.” Sans said, grabbing Frisk’s wrist and pulling them from the room.

Once the door was closed and the two of them began down the hall, Frisk looked over at Sans.

It was time for the hard questions.

“Ok, seriously, what are you two?”

Sans raised a brow bone, “excuse me?”

“You and Nat! You’ve already kissed, and you clearly like each other!”

“why are you so worried about what we are?” He asked.

“I don’t know, I’m just a curious person!” They admitted, “And I want to see my two best friends happy.”

“well right now nobody is going to be happy until we get out of this place.” Sans said.

They were nearing the lab when Sans held his arm out, stopping Frisk. He turned to them and lowered his voice.

“look, i have no clue what he is going to be doing. all i know is that it will have to do with your soul.” He said, “if it gets to being too much, let me know. i’ll get him to stop.”

Frisk had to gather their thoughts. This was it huh? Being grabbed up out of bed early to be experimented on? Well, if it meant they could finish their mission sooner…

“Ok.” They said.

Sans studied them for a moment, his eyes filled with concern. Frisk could tell he wanted to say more, but he turned from them instead and lead them through the doors and into the lab.

“Ah, good morning.” Gaster said, looking up from a stack of papers lying on the desk he was standing in front of. “Did you sleep well?”

“I could use some more pillows, but it was alright.” Frisk said.

“If that will make you more comfortable, I will be glad to accommodate.” Gaster said, shocking Frisk and leaving Sans shaking his head in disbelief once again.

What was this guy trying to prove?

Gaster turned and stepped toward Frisk, eyeing them warily, “Now… Frisk, I would like to run some tests on your soul this morning. It shouldn’t take long, I simply want to get some readings.”

The way he said their name made Frisk even more uncomfortable. They glanced over at Sans, who was obviously not taking to this well either, but they were sure that they and he both knew that this was the only way they were going to succeed down here.

“Alright, what do I have to do?”

Gaster motioned for them to follow, leading them over to a machine that reminded Frisk of the claw from those stupid quarter machines that they always put so much money into only to get nothing. 

“If you will just stand on the dot right there behind the machine.” Gaster said.

Frisk gulped, “Uh, is this-”

“Going to hurt?” Gaster finished for them, “Not today, no.”

Frisk quickly glanced back over to Sans, who was glaring at Gaster… not that the old man noticed, he was too busy watching Frisk. They looked to the machine again and took a deep breath before stepping over to the marker on the ground.

Gaster began to mess with a monitor hooked to the machine and Frisk jumped slightly when the claw began to spin, opening its jaws in the process.

“Now Frisk, I’m going to need to pull out your s-”

“I’d rather you not.” They blurted out, a sudden panic welling inside them.

His eyes bore into them, he was clearly frustrated at them making his work more difficult.

“If you will not do this willingly-”

“i’ll do it.” Sans cut him off, stepping forward toward the machine, “is that alright with you frisk?”

They instantly breathed easier, though they were still very uneasy about this whole ordeal. They nodded to Sans, who approached them immediately.

Sans held out his hand in front of their chest, surrounding it with magic.

“you’re fine.” He said, “don’t worry, kiddo.”

A sense of calm surrounded Frisk as their soul eased out of their body, the blood-red heart floating between them and their dear friend.

Sans took a few slow steps backward and watched as the machine’s claw inched downward, closing around the soul. The fear was back, but it was easier with Sans there, and without an extra voice in Frisk’s head trying to turn them against him.

Gaster turned his attention to the computer in front of him, tapping away at the keyboard and glancing up at the soul a few times.

“I just need to see…” Gaster mumbled to himself, “Ah! There we are!”

Everyone looked up at the soul, pulsing inside the claw. Suddenly, the information Gaster was looking for began to appear.

LV: 1   
HP: 20   
AT: 48   
DF: 14

“How peculiar.” Gaster spoke, “How is your LV so low, yet your attack and defense so high.”

That was exactly what Frisk was thinking, until the numbers began to flicker and change. At first it was a steady climb, their LV was 2, and then 4.... But soon it was completely off the charts, the numbers in each status category went haywire, becoming a jumbled, unreadable mess across their soul.

Panic set in once more, making things even worse. The magic in their soul became unstable and started fighting against it’s cage. 

“dings, shut it down.” Sans demanded.

“Are you kidding me, Sans? Look at this! It’s amazing!” Gaster exclaimed, staring at the readings on his monitor, “I was right about the anomaly, they were definitely using time traveling magic. Look at the power this one soul contains!”

Memories flashed through Frisk’s mind, flashbacks of a time they would much like to forget. They felt the fear begin to fade, anger quickly replacing it.

“shut. it. down!”

Sans rushed forward and hit the release mechanism, causing the jaws to unhinge and Frisk’s soul to fly back into them with such force that they hit the ground.

“SANS!”

Sans ignored Gaster and rushed to Frisk, helping them into a seated position.

“you okay?” He asked.

Frisk couldn’t answer at first, their head swam with a multitude of emotions and memories. They think they nodded, but they weren’t exactly sure.

“Well, thankfully I got what I was looking for before it was shut down.” Gaster spoke, “Sans, escort them back to their room. We will talk about your little outburst later.”

Sans didn’t look back at Gaster as he picked up Frisk and carried them back out to the hallway.

“damn, this was a lot easier when you were younger, kid.” He grunted, having to enlist the help of his magic the further down the hall he got.

Frisk started coming around, they reached up and rubbed their eyes, blinking a few times to figure out where exactly they were again.

“Sans, he’s gonna be pissed.” They mumbled.

“who fucking cares.” He said.

“I should’ve kept calm.” They said, “It would’ve been over and done with if I just hadn’t watched it…”

“shut up, frisk, this is not your fault.” Sans said, his voice sharp and serious.

They sighed and didn’t dare argue. It wasn’t long before Sans got Frisk back to their room only to find that Natasha was awake. Her eyes widened behind her thick-framed glasses as Sans carried Frisk inside.

She hopped off the bed, “Oh god, what happened?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Frisk winced as Sans sat them on the edge of their bed, “I passed out, have a migraine.” 

Natasha looked from them to Sans, she obviously didn’t believe a word of that.

Sans sighed, “look, i gotta get back in there. i’ll fill you in later if frisk doesn’t.” He looked back over at Frisk, “for now, you rest up.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Frisk said, leaning back onto their pillow.

Sans and Nat exchanged a silent look of concern before Sans stepped outside and headed back to the lab.

 

* * *

 

Gaster didn’t mention the incident until later that evening, choosing the remaining time in the lab to only focus on work, and the other times he chose not to speak to Sans at all. Thankfully, he had at least taken Sans to the source of the Core’s magic, showing him just how much damage had been done… and Gaster was right, it was way too much for Sans to handle on his own.

That evening, Sans had retired to his room, spreading out his notes on the desk. He would have to study up on the way the mechanisms holding the place together were built before just running in there and trying to fix things. There just wasn’t enough hours in a day to get everything done.

A light tapping sounded on the door and Sans was hoping it was Nat or Frisk, but of course he wouldn’t be so lucky.

“I think we should talk about what happened this morning.” He said.

“what about it?” Sans asked, leaning back against the desk chair.

Gaster strode inside, “I understand that you wanted to protect your friend, but you could have seriously screwed up the data. I wasn’t hurting them.”

“hurting mentally is still hurting, gaster.” Sans said.

“I suppose you are right.” He said, “But, Sans, did you pay attention to the numbers in your friend’s soul? Their stats?”

Sans didn’t say a word, he knew where Gaster was going with this.

“I’ve never seen someone’s level of violence fluctuate like that.” He said, “Their execution points…”

Sans locked eyes with him. Sans had only figured this all out himself a day ago… but Gaster didn’t know a thing… did he?

Gaster sighed, “Look, I will let today slide, we will be more careful tomorrow.”

He stepped back toward the door, but looked back before stepping out into the hallway.

“But, Sans… If I were you, I’d be a little more cautious about the company you keep.”

Sans could’ve said so many horrible, yet truthful things as Gaster walked out the door, but he didn’t. His door closed and he let out a sigh, turning back to his notes.

He knew Gaster had meant Frisk, but Sans couldn’t help but think that, if he had a choice, here with his creator would be the last place he’d ever stay. 

But this was his only chance,  _ their _ only chance. He had to save his friends, and he’d work through every single night if he had to.

 


	52. Sensual Subduction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this from my phone at work, so I hope everything shows up alright!  
> So today starts NaNoWriMo, which means I start writing my novel today! I'm excited, but also very nervous. I was hoping I'd be able to prewrite 4 THIAS chapters beforehand so I could at least get a chapter out once a week this month, but I only got 2 (this one included) sooo, I'm gonna try to work on this as well (because I'm terribly excited over it.)
> 
> I keep trying to remind myself that there's no rush on my novel, this month is just a kickstart to it. <3 I might post little tidbits of it on my tumblr, so make sure to follow me there!
> 
> Enjoyyy!  
> -Paige

Sans watched Gaster as he poured over numerous documents regarding the information he’d found on the Core’s magical power. Since early that morning, they’d been working in the inner chamber, trying to figure out just how they could restore the energy back to the underground, and in turn, the surface world.

He was surprised that Gaster had decided to show him all this, especially after what had happened the day before with Frisk, and he couldn’t figure out if he was just being a decent monster, or if he was trying to get closer to Sans in an attempt to earn his trust.

“Do you remember much about your childhood, Sans?” Gaster asked out of the blue.

Sans thought a moment, “i remember bits and pieces.”

“Do you recall me working on this very thing before?”

Sans’ brow bone furrowed, “i’m not gonna lie, this entire mechanism seems familiar, but i was very young.”

Gaster nodded, “Yes, you were. It was right after I created you that I worked with the king to help truly harness the magic in this place.”

Sans looked over at Gaster, who was now looking up at the great machine before them, a far off gaze in his sockets.

“I only wish that I could remember exactly how I created it…” He whispered.

“You’ll figure it out.” Sans said, walking over to him, “You’re too smart for your own damn good, it’ll come back to you.”

“Well, you’re not wrong.” Gaster said.

Sans sighed, “welp, it’s not gonna repair itself. let’s get back to work.”

“Just a moment.” Gaster said, turning to him, “I need your opinion on something.”

Oh boy… “what is it?”

“I know you visited the an- Frisk this morning. How are they faring?”

“what you’re really asking is if they are well enough to come to the lab today, isn’t it?” Sans said, “i would say give them another day. the shit you pulled yesterday really took a toll on them.”

Gaster hummed thoughtfully to himself, “How about the girl? She has a much different soul from Frisk and I believe it could greatly benefit my research.”

Sans’ jaw clenched, “i don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“And why not? Surely she is a lot less complicated than the anomaly. She certainly doesn’t seem like the type to mess with time control magic.” Gaster said.

“i don’t think she’d be comfortable with it.” He said.

Gaster shut his eyes, rubbing his skull in aggravation, “I do not  _ need  _ her to be comfortable with it, Sans. Do you remember the talk we had when you first arrived here?”

Sans narrowed his eyes, he knew where this was going. No testing on the humans meant no magic for the monsters.

He sighed, defeated, “i will… talk to her about it.”

A small, gleeful smile appeared on Gaster’s face, “I appreciate it greatly… Actually, why don’t you go do that now? I think it is time for a break after all.”

Sans, completely unsurprised, picked up his notes and left the room without another word to Gaster.

_ Manipulative asshole. _

He started back toward his room, running over ideas in his mind on how exactly he would bring this up to Natasha. Remembering Frisk’s reactions to the machine, he certainly didn’t want her to have to go through that too… though Gaster was probably right, her soul probably wasn’t as abnormal as their’s, so she shouldn’t have that same issue… Still, his chest was tight as he pictured her panicking as they had.

He pulled his phone from his pocket and sent her a message, thankful that they could still communicate while the phones were in range of one another. By the time he got to his room, Natasha was already coming around the corner to meet him.

“Hey, what’s up?” She asked as she approached him.

“hey, there’s a few things i need to discuss with you.” He said, opening the door to his room and walking inside, “first, how is frisk?”

“They’re doing better now. Definitely not as fatigued as yesterday.” She said.

“good, good.” He said, laying his papers on the desk. He turned to her and sighed.

“i have something to ask you and i think it might be better if you sat down.” He shook his head, “maybe we both should sit down.”

“Oh… kay.” She said, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. 

Sans joined her, turning so he could face her properly, “so i was talking with gaster this morning and, well, he-”

“He wants to run tests on my soul, doesn’t he?” She asked.

Sans met her gaze, she knew this was coming, she was smart.

“yeah, i’m not too happy about it.” He said.

“But you don’t have a choice.” She said, “I understand.”

Sans groaned in frustration, running a hand along the back of his skull, “i hate having to ask this of you.”

“Hey, it’s not really you asking.” She said, resting her hand on his free one, “You’re just the messenger here.”

How could she be so understanding? He looked back into her eyes, dark brown and practically sparkling with life. He both hated and loved the way his soul felt when he gazed into them.

_ stop getting distracted. _

“it won’t be like with frisk.” He said, “your soul will still be taken out and scanned, but frisk has been through a lot recently and they just weren’t able to handle it.”

Natasha nodded slowly. He could see the concern in her eyes.

“do you have any questions?”

“Uh, yeah, um…” She looked away, “So, when Gaster pulled out my soul before, it was not the most pleasant experience.”

“yeah, he basically ripped your soul out without your knowledge or consent.” Sans said, recalling the moment, “that can be pretty jarring.”

“I felt dead.” She said, her hand automatically going to her chest, “It was really cold and I was completely numb. Are you sure he needs to do that again?”

“well, it will be different this time. you’ll actually know what’s coming and…” His voice trailed off as he took in her facial expression of fear.

_ She shouldn’t have to go through that again. For her, it wouldn’t seem any different. _

“if it would make you more comfortable, i guess i could pull it out instead.” He found himself saying.

“Is that okay?” She asked.

Sans fought down the burning sensation that threatened his face. Taking out her soul would be a lot different than taking out Frisk’s. Frisk was a long-time friend, someone Sans had practically helped raise. He’d do anything to protect them like family.

But the protective feeling he had for Nat was something else entirely. It’d been a long time since he’d felt anything like it, and it terrified him. It clouded his mind and made him anxious. What if he accidentally hurt her? Or what if he was unable to keep himself away from her.

He didn’t want to keep himself away, though, and that was probably the most worrying part.

“yeah, that isn’t a problem, it’s just… we’re… i…”

So much for trying to act like he wasn’t completely flustered.

“Are there implications I’m not aware of?” She asked, “Frisk told me something about monster relationships having to do with souls, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“no, no, it’s not that, it’s, uh.” He sighed, “ok, it’s kinda that.”

Nat let out a small laugh and Sans couldn’t help but give a chuckle as well.

“it’s not uncomfortable.” He explained, “it’s just that, well, our relationship is quite unlike say, me and frisk’s.”

She nodded, patiently waiting on him to continue. He thought on his words a moment.

_ ah hell, just say it, you aren’t a baby bones anymore. _

“we obviously have developed feelings for one another over the past few months.” He said, “and when souls feel a certain way about one another, it tends to complicate things.”

Nat’s brow creased, “So… Should we not?”

“it’s up to you.” He told her, “i’ll do whatever makes you feel more comfortable.”

“If you aren’t opposed to it, I’d like for you to be the one to take my soul out.” She said.

“alright, that settles it.” He stood from the bed, “want to go ahead and get it over with? I guarantee you he’s waiting in the lab now for us.”

Still holding his hand, Nat stood up and the two of them walked out together.

 

* * *

You were nervous and worried, but the feeling of Sans’ hand in yours sent a calmness through your body. Even as he lead you into the lab where Gaster was waiting, you weren’t as scared knowing that your soul wouldn’t be forcibly ripped from you this time around.

Gaster glanced at the two of you, and quickly at your joined hands, but said nothing of it. He motioned for you both to follow and you did so. You instantly recognized the machine that Frisk mentioned in the brief time they were willing to talk about the incident the day before. The claw sent a chill through you, but you felt Sans squeeze your hand gently and you did your best to focus on that.

“I assume that you will be taking her soul out as well, Sans?” Gaster spoke.

“yeah.” Sans said, leading you over to a marker on the ground. You stood on it and he faced you, running his thumb along the back of your hand before letting it fall.

“you’re alright with this?” He asked, looking into your eyes for confirmation.

You nodded and he brought his hand up a few inches from your chest. You felt a pulling sensation deep within you and you tensed up, unintentionally pulling back.

“close your eyes and relax, sweetheart.” Sans whispered, “you’re alright, you’re safe.”

You shut your eyes and did your best to focus on Sans and Sans alone.

_ You’re okay, you’re safe here. Sans won’t let anything happen to you. _

You instantly relaxed as warmth spread through your body. This time when your soul left your body, you felt comfortable and protected. Frisk had been right, this was much, much different.

You opened your eyes to see Sans holding the deep blue heart with his magic. The claw spun and closed down around your soul, but you didn’t feel scared at all.

“i’m going to let go of it now, but this shouldn’t take long, okay?”

You nodded again and watched as he released your soul into the machine’s grasp and stepped back. Still, you felt calm.

Gaster quickly went to work on the computer nearby. It wasn’t long before you noticed what appeared to be a list of stats coming from your soul.

LV 1   
HP 20   
AT 10   
DF 10

“Just as I expected.” Gaster said, mostly to himself.

It wasn’t long before the scanned process was completed and Sans stepped close again. You held back a sigh of contentment as he took hold of your soul once more. The claw released it and he brought it in front of you like before. This time, you watched him. He held your soul carefully, his eyes on it the entire time as if it were too precious to lose track of.

Gently, he pushed the heart back into you. You involuntarily let out the smallest whine as he released it, causing his eyes to cut straight up to your’s, his face turning a gorgeous shade of blue.

What you would have given for him to hold it again.

“I think we got some good date here today.” Gaster spoke, “Thank you, Natasha. The two of you are free to go for now.”

Sans took your hand once again and, in a rush that made your stomach flip flop, you were teleported back into his room. You were slightly dizzy, but Sans held you steady until it wore off.

“sorry, normally i wouldn’t do that without asking first.” he said, his voice sounding rather shaky, “it’s just, i… ah hell.”

You let out a squeak of surprise as his mouth met yours in a kiss of absolute desperation, his body pressed up against yours and he seemed to be using his magic to levitate himself up to your height. You let yourself enjoy this, wrapping your arms and around him and holding him tight.

You moaned into his mouth at the feeling of his hands running up and down the curves of your sides and settled down on your hips, gripping them tightly. You had to take a gulp of air once his mouth left yours, but you found it hard to breath evenly as he kissed his way across your jaw and down your neck.

“Sans.” You whispered.

He suddenly stopped, moving his hands away from you to rest on the wall that you hadn’t evenly realized you’d been up against. He breathed heavily, leaning his forehead against your shoulder.

“i’m sorry.” he said.

“For what?” You asked.

“for rushing you into here like this.” he said, pushing himself off the wall to stand in front of you. “i shouldn’t have done that.”

You shook your head, “Sans, if I wanted you to stop, I would have said so.”

He met your eyes again and you smiled.

“In fact, I’m kind of upset that you did stop.”

He laughed, “sorry, i just, i realized that i just kinda pounced on you and i didn’t really think that was fair.”

“You’re cute, you know.” You said, feeling rather confident in yourself, “How you always ask if I’m okay with things, it’s endearing.”

There was that blush again, “heh, well, when i was younger i was a lot more brash and headstrong. i’ve mellowed out since then but, you… you just…”

He groaned and rubbed at his face, “ugh, this is gonna sound shitty of me, but do you think you could maybe come back later and us talk.”

You raised a brow, “Uh, sure.”

“sorry, i just really need some time to think and get myself calmed down.” he said.

You nodded and started to walk off, but he decided to squeeze your hand one more time.

“hey, this isn’t me shutting you out, okay?” he assured you, “i really do want you to come back later, if you want.”

You cracked a smile, “i’ll see you in a bit, Sans.”

With that, you walked out the door, leaving Sans to deal with his thoughts and feelings.


	53. Tungsten Tied

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who has given up on their novel 2 days into NaNoWriMo!  
> IT ME!
> 
> Honestly, I have no motivation for an original story right now, not when I want to finish this fanfic and write my Stardew Valley one as well. I'll get to it eventually, but it will take a lot more planning out. So NaNoWriMo fanfic edition it is! Get ready for (almost, hopefully) daily uploads!
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

Sans sat on the edge of his bed in silence, letting his thoughts and emotions battle it out in his head. He was so conflicted even though Natasha was no longer his student. There were literally no obstacles keeping him from her now.

So why was he still holding back? She seemed to feel the same way, so what was his issue?

He began to question himself. Why was she interested in him? He was a monster who loved to sleep all day and crack dumb jokes… That and he was much older in human years, though just past the age of young adulthood in monster years. Surely she could do better with some younger human who was a hell of a lot more fun than him.

“stop doing this to yourself.” He muttered, rubbing at his eye sockets, “it isn’t your decision who she is interested in.”

Still, he couldn’t help but fight with himself on this. Sans had never been the most confident guy, and he definitely wasn’t above admitting that he was a little scared.

Maybe a lot scared.

Romance hadn’t really been a part of his life since he and Tori first got together once they left the underground, and even that hadn’t lasted very long. He’d had a few flings after that, a few humans here and there, but nothing more than a couple of dates or a night in his bed.

This wasn’t like any of those things. He had a connection with Natasha that was much more than just physical. He found himself wishing that she was staying in the room with him instead of with Frisk, and he wanted so badly to just sit and talk with her for hours. He wanted to know everything about her, and he longed to hear her laugh as he told her the worst puns he could come up with.

He groaned and flopped back on his bed. This shouldn’t be as complicated as he was making it… but he honestly wasn’t sure what to do.

She said she wanted to come back, but would she?

He decided to wait and see.

 

* * *

 

You waited until after Frisk had fallen asleep before you slipped out of the room. The hallway was dim, so you felt along the wall as you headed to Sans’ room. Once you reached his door, you stood there for a few minutes, contemplating if he even wanted to see you… it was late after all, he might have went back to work and gotten into bed early, or maybe he was still working? 

You lifted your hand, hesitating a moment before giving two light knocks on the door.

“who’s there?” You heard Sans call out.

A smirk played on your lips, “Al.”

“al who?”

“Al give you a kiss if you open the door.”

You heard snickering behind the door before it opened up. Sans stood there in a hoodie and shorts, his go-to relaxation outfit.

“that was pun-bearable.” he said, “you can do better than that.”

You leaned down and planted a kiss on his skull before stepping into the room, “Nah, I think I did just fine.”

The room was dim, the only lights on were the desk lamp and the small lamp on the night stand. It was certainly enough light to fill the small room up enough to see well, but it was still relaxing and a little romantic in a way. Sans closed the door back and the two of you sat down on the edge of the bed as you had earlier in the day.

“How did the rest of your day go?” You asked, “Did Gaster have you working hard?”

“eh, it wasn’t too bad. we went over the data from both souls and then we discussed a starting plan to rebuild a portion of the core. i’d say it was a pretty productive day.” He said, “what about you? you and frisk do anything?”

“We hung out and talked… took a nap there for a little bit, and I read part of a book.” You said.

“sounds nice and relaxing.” Sans said.

You shrugged, “A little boring, honestly.”

“heh, sounds like we should have you in the lab working.” He said, “we might actually get our work done faster.”

“Hey, if you need me, I’m there!” You said.

Sans smiled at your enthusiasm, “i’ll have to see about getting you in there when mr. douchebag isn’t being such an ass.”

“So never?”

He laughed again, “i might just have to put you to work in a completely different section of the core.”

“As long as I’m busy, I don’t mind a bit.” You told him.

“i’ll keep that in mind.” He said, “thanks.”

You both went silent for a moment, Sans pulled his legs up on the bed, folding them up in front of him, and turned to face you better.

“so, about earlier.” He started, “i’m sorry for kinda sending you away like that.”

You shook your head and mimicked his movements, making yourself a bit more comfortable on the bed.

“No need to apologize. You needed some time to yourself to think, I understand.”

“you’re way too nice, ya know that?” He said with a smile.

“It’s a curse at times.” You said, “I did want to ask though… what was it that made you so eager to jump me?”

Your bluntness surprised him, causing him to sputter. You stifled your laughter, but couldn’t help cracking a wide smile.

“it’s, well, when we were in the lab, and i took out your soul,” He started, “once my magic wrapped around it, i was completely mesmerised.”

“How so?” You asked.

He took a deep breath and let it out, he was clearly flustered, but ultimately decided to continue on.

“we’ve already established that we have a connection, which complicates things in the first place. but when i held your soul i felt so drawn to it… like it was calling me.” 

Something inside your core fluttered, was your soul doing that even now? Is that why you felt so calm during the screening process?

“and, well, your soul is really beautiful.” He spoke quietly, “and i longed to hold it without the magical barrier, but that’s definitely not something done in an open room with others nearby.”

“So what, is that like monster sex or something?”

Sans laughed, “no, and yes, kind of. it’s more than that. It’s a connection way deeper between the two involved. it’s just a very private thing between two consenting adults.”

“Oh, wow, I didn’t know that.” You said, the fluttering in your ribcage still going strong.

“and then when i released your soul back to you, i realized you were feeling the exact way that i was and…” He leaned back against the headboard, closing his eye sockets, “i couldn’t really help myself after that, and i’m sorry.”

“Well, if it’s any consolation, I enjoyed it.” You told him, “I appreciate that you keep apologizing for it, but there isn’t any need to.”

He let out a nervous chuckle, “still, i’ll keep myself in check a little more.”

You wanted to tell him that you’d really rather him not, but decided against it for the time being. It seemed like he really didn’t understand just how much you enjoyed him kissing you up against the wall.

“I know what you mean about my soul calling out though.” You said, feeling a little more brave, “Honestly, it feels that way now. Like it’s trying to get out… Do monster souls work the same way?”

Even in the dim lighting, there was no mistaking the blush sweeping across his face. “sort of, but monsters souls are a literal part of the body for us, so they don’t really come out and make themselves visible like with humans.”

“You still feel with them though?” You asked, he nodded. “So how does your’s feel now?”

Maybe you were being a little too forward, but you were genuinely curious as to how Sans worked, and how he really felt about you. He twiddled his thumbs in nervousness as he answered.

“uh, probably a lot like yours.” He said.

You scooted yourself closer to him, moving forward until your knees touched his. He seemed slightly surprised by it, but if he minded, he didn’t say anything.

“Is it okay?” You asked,  “Us, I mean? Is this alright? Is it… wrong?”

“it doesn’t feel wrong.” He said, taking your hands in his, “and since i am no longer your professor, i don’t see any issue with it.”

“Are  _ you  _ okay with it?”

“i am if you are.”

Your soul fought against your ribcage as you leaned in to kiss him. He immediately reciprocated, his magic tingling on your lips and over your skin. Your mind went back to how you felt earlier, when he was holding your soul. You’d felt so warm, so safe. You almost asked if he would take it out again, but with the way he talked about souls, you didn’t want to push into that sort of thing too fast.

Moving even closer, you ended up in his arms with him against the headboard. You sighed in contentment, nuzzling your face into his neck bones.

“nat?” Sans asked.

“Yeah?”

“would you like to sleep in here tonight?”

You smiled and kissed his jaw.

“Yeah, that sounds nice.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ARE YOU READY FOR SMUT????
> 
> (also, if you are enjoying this and haven't read either of my other Undertale fics, please go check them out! I recommend Spitfire, I am super proud of that fic!)


	54. Violent Thrusting Leads to Overturned Beds*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SMUT! SMUUUUT!
> 
> ACTUAL SEX STUFF STARTS AND ENDS WITH ~*~*~*~ IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SKIP!
> 
> I'm not gonna lie, this is now my favorite chapter out of everything I've ever written... yes, even moreso than the hotdog stand scene in Spitfire.
> 
> ENJOY!  
> -Paigey

Sans opened his eyes slowly to find Natasha still in his arms. Had they slept all night like this? The last thing he remembered was the two of them discussing his geophysical discoveries of the underground versus the surface. They had both become so tired though, so they must have passed out… but in a position such as this?

Her leg was tossed over him, his hand was resting on her hip and just the way their bodies were pushed together… 

He looked up to her face, the first thing he realized was that her hair was loose, her messy curls sticking out all over the place. She usually wore a satin night cap to protect her hair as she slept, but the sight of it framing her face as it was nearly took his breath away. 

The second thing he realized was how her face looked so peaceful, and how her hands were brought up near her chin, pulled close to her as she had been snuggling close to him. It was positively adorable.

The last thing that came to his attention was his own magic, coursing through him like a raging river. A part of him wanted to just stay here and cuddle with her, and the other wanted to ravage her like a wild animal.

Suddenly she let out a quiet whine, reaching out and gripping his shirt to pull him closer. He breathed in, she smelled of lavender soap. Had she taken a shower before coming over last night? Not that she didn’t always smell amazing when he was close to her…

He moved his hand up an inch or so to the waistband of her shorts, running his thumb along the exposed skin where her shirt had lifted up slightly during the night. He studied its smoothness and mentally groaned. If only he could feel the rest of her.

“Sans?” She spoke, her voice coming out in a raspy whisper.

“yeah?” He answered, looking back to her face.

“Do we have to get up?” She asked.

He looked at his wrist that, surprisingly, still had his watch wrapped around it.

“nah, we’re good for now.” He said.

She smiled, her eyes still closed as she nuzzled into her pillow.

“Good. I don’t want to get up.”

“me either.” Sans said.

He watched as Nat began to move one of her hands. First to his arm, lightly running her fingers down until they rested on the side of his rib cage. He held his breath, unsure of what she would do next.

“You know, you feel pretty soft for a skeleton.” She said, putting just a little more pressure into her fingers on him, “Is it the magic?”

“Yeah.” He answered, unable to say much else.

She smirked and opened her eyes slightly to look at him. If he was breathing at all before, he certainly wasn’t now.

“Is it okay if I see?”

The light of his eyes widened, “you want to see… my ribs?”

The light jingle of her laugh filled the room, “Yeah, if that’s alright with you. I wouldn’t want to do anything you’re uncomfortable with.”

He reached down and grabbed the bottom of his shirt, pushing himself up slightly to remove the shirt completely. Looking back at her, her eyes has opened wider, taking the view of him in. He felt a little embarrassed, but did his best to hide that from her.

She reached out again but hesitated, looking to his eyes for permission. He nodded and she lightly touched one of his ribs, gently running her fingertips over it. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling at all, though he was a little ticklish. 

Pushing further, she began to feel around the others, focusing on certain areas where Sans was certain he had ‘scarring’ in his bones. Little cuts and scrapes here and there from battles and Gaster’s experiments. He knew she had to have questions about them, but she didn’t ask any of those.

“Have you ever… been with a human?” She asked.

The sudden question sent his mind reeling. “y-yeah. a few times. Nothing serious though.”

She hummed in acknowledgement, still rubbing his ribs.

“have you ever been with a monster?” He asked.

“Nope.” She said, “A couple of humans, but no monsters.”

_ ‘Do you want to be?’  _ was the question in his mind, but he swallowed it down.

He rested his hand back on her side, feeling her skin once again. She let out a little chuckle to herself.

“Here, let me return the favor.”

She sat up for a moment and pulled off her shirt, tossing it to the side. Sans inhaled sharply, taking in her beautiful dark skin and the way her body curved all over. She turned back to him, looking a little nervous.

“I’m probably not as gorgeous as other girls you’ve se-”

“oh no no no, i’m going to have to stop you right there.” He said, sitting up with her.

Her brown eyes were wide as Sans faced her, leaning in and placing his hands on her shoulders.

“you are absolutely stunning.” He said, “your body is just… wow.”

He looked over her longingly, her shoulders were broad, her arms fairly muscular. She wore a dark red bra that he wanted so badly to take off, and the curve of her waist drove him crazy.

He slowly moved his hands down her arms, looking up to her to make sure she was alright with it. He rested them on her sides and she squirmed just a bit.

“i can stop.” He said, meeting her eyes again.

“It’s not that.” She said, “It’s just a been a while, and I guess I’m a little… embarrassed? Nervous?”

Sans smiled, “you have nothing to be embarrassed of, i assure you.”

He leaned in and kissed her, still letting his hands roam her midsection. She was so soft and squishy, the exact opposite of him, and he was finding it difficult to get his fill of her from just the little bit he was able to see and touch.

She moaned against his mouth and moved her own hands back to his body, feeling his ribs once again and reached around to his spine. A chill shook him as she ran her fingers up it lightly, feeling each little notch in the bones until she held the back of his skull again. It was almost too much for him.

He gently pushed her back onto the bed, kissing her much more fervently now. She gripped his lower ribs and pulled him down on top of her, causing him to let out a moan. Natasha broke away from the kiss, panting heavily. She looked up at him, her brown eyes filled with wonder and a bit of desperation.

“Sans.”

“yeah, sweetheart?”

“Will you… Can we…”

“if you’re sure.” He said, not needing to ask what she meant.

She smiled and pulled him in for a kiss once again.

 

~*~*~*~*~

You were more sure of this than anything. Your body burned with the need to be touched by him and he seemed more than willing to put out those fires for you. He began to kiss his way down your neck, nipping softly at your collarbone before stopping to fiddle with your bra strap.

“i’ve never understood these things.” he said.

You smiled, “They can really help your posture if you have big boobs, like me. That and they keep everything looking nice and perked up.”

He smirked, “i bet you look just as amazing without it.”

You knew your face had to be bright red, then again, the rest of you probably was too. You began to shift so you could reach around and unhook your bra until he stopped you.

“i got it.” he said.

You felt your bra loosen and slip off you as if by magic. All you had to do was help move your arms out of it.

_ This smooth motherfucker. _

Your first instinct was to cover yourself, but you forced yourself to lay back and just relax as his eyes took you in. It was a bit endearing to see him like this. He was a scientist, and it kind of looked like he might be studying your anatomy, but his gaze was so gentle and loving.

He reached out to caress your left breast, running his thumb over your nipple. You tensed slightly, being pretty sensitive in those areas. He smiled, likely taking note of this as he leaned down to kiss you again.

His tongue slipped into your mouth and at the same time he twisted your nipple slightly between his fingers, causing you to whine and buck up against him. A chuckle rumbled deep in his chest as he kissed you harder, your head spinning from the multiple attacks on your senses. Before you knew it, his mouth was gone from yours, and was instead lowering onto your breast. 

You whined even louder as he took one nipple between his teeth and circled the other with one of his fingers. 

“Sans,” You breathed, “Stop teasing me!”

That only caused him to tease you further, putting more pressure on your nipples and swirling his tongue around the one in his mouth. The buildup was quickly becoming too much. You squirmed beneath him, pressing your thighs together in desperation of some sort of relief.

“This isn’t fair.” You murmured.

“aw, i’m sorry.” He said, coming back up to meet your face, “were you wanting something?”

You pouted, looking at him with your best fake-angry face. He laughed once again and rolled off, laying on his side facing you. You pushed up onto your side and faced him as well.

“what do you want?” He asked, his hand rubbing slowly up and down your side.

You looped a finger into the waistband of his shorts and tugged lightly.

“I want to see what’s under here.” You purred.

“i’m a skeleton.” he deadpanned.

“Oh my god, Sans. You have a TONGUE.” 

“so that automatically means i have other body parts?”

You glared at him and he smiled widely, quickly giving you a peck on the lips.

“yeah, yeah, i have what you’re looking for.” he said, “but if i take my shorts off, you have to remove yours too.”

You rolled your eyes, “Well duh, how else are we supposed to do this?”

He reached a hand into your hair and pulled you to him, once again choosing to explore your mouth with his tongue. His arm wrapped around you, his hand dipping down beneath your shorts to grab your butt and pull you against him.

_ Oh~ _

You certainly weren’t expecting to feel something that instant, but you weren’t complaining about it. The obvious bulge in his shorts pressing against you made everything all the more real. This was really happening, and you were more than ready for it.

You gripped his waistband in your fists and began to tug them down. Noticing your frustration, Sans decided to help, and soon the shorts were gone completely. You broke away from the kiss to look down so you could see exactly what you were working with.

You were unsurprised to see a penis… but you were surprised to see that it was blue.

“Not gonna lie, it looks like a toy.” You said.

“tell me something i don’t know.”

You met his eyes again, “Does it vibrate?”

He raised a brow bone, “do you want it to?”

You reached out and wrapped your hand around his magical appendage, feeling him shudder. 

“Do you just decide to conjure this whenever, or does it do it on it’s own?” You asked.

He answered through staggered breaths as you began pumping him slowly.

“It’s uh… sometimes?... it depends.” he said, “i usually m-make it appear… but there have been t-times when i… couldn’t control it.”

Your lips twitched into a smirk, “Did that happen when you were dreaming of me?”

His eyes widened, his face turning even more blue. He opened his mouth to say something a few times, but he was clearly speechless. 

You grinned wider, “I guess I have my ans-”

Sans cut you off with another kiss, leaning back over you again. You continued to fondle him as he buried his face into your neck, breathing harder now.

“yes, that is exactly what happened.” He admitted, his hands roaming your body again, “there were a few nights when i couldn’t help myself, knowing it was wrong, but you…. you…”

You let out a moan as he tweaked your nipple again and ran his tongue up the length of your neck to your ear.

“you are so incredibly intoxicating, and quite impossible to ignore.” He whispered, “i have to admit, i’ve wanted to do this for a while now. the fact that you’re in bed with me right now is just… i can hardly believe it.”

He took hold of your shorts and pulled back to look at your face, “may i?” 

You nodded, your mind reeling from his words as he pulled your shorts and underwear off in one motion, tossing them away from the bed. 

“Sans,” You spoke, watching him look over you once again, “I confess, I’ve been wanting this a while too… you aren’t the only one who’s had dreams.”

Immediately, he was back to kissing your lips, his hand traveling down your body to the new area he now had access to. You nearly cried out as his finger slid between your folds, gently rubbing around your clit. In return, your hand grabbed at his dick again, squeezing a harder and pumping just a little faster now. He moaned into your mouth and dipped his hand lower.

He sucked in air at the feeling of your wetness, “holy shit, sweetheart. you really want this.”

“Please, Sans.” You whispered, on the edge of begging.

You opened your legs wider and he settled between them, lining himself up with your entrance. His mouth kissed yours more gently this time as he slowly pushed in. You moaned, your mind and body lying somewhere between the feelings of relief and extreme need.

Once inside completely, Sans rested his forehead against yours, his eye sockets closed as he was still, taking in everything.

“natasha.” he whispered.

“Yeah, Sans?”

“I think... you…” He seemed conflicted for a moment, unsure of how to say what he was feeling.

“you’re amazing.” he finally said, “you’re beautiful, and just… wow.”

You couldn’t help but giggle a little, feeling slightly awkward from receiving such compliments.

“You’re pretty spectacular yourself.” You told him, “I just keep wanting to know more and more about you.”

“i’ll tell you anything you want to know.” He said.

You bit your lip to stifle a moan as he started moving in and out of you slowly. The feeling of him stretching you with each push was almost too much to handle, and despite wanting him to fuck absolute hell out of you, you were very much enjoying the moment.

He reached down between the two of you to rub at your clit again. You lifted your hips to meet his, the slight change in angle causing both of you to groan pleasantly.

“Sans, faster.” You pleaded, “Please.”

He situated himself and picked up his pace, letting out short breaths with each thrust. You could feel yourself beginning to lose control as you gripped the bedsheets on either side of you.

“you want more?” He asked. 

You weren’t sure what he meant, but you nodded vigorously. A sudden tingling sensation ran over your skin, making your nipples even harder and causing your toes to curl inward. You opened your eyes and looked at him, his sockets were closed as he focused. It had to be magic that somehow seemed to be heightening your senses.

His pace picked up even more and soon he was thrusting into you fairly roughly. You arched your back, freely moaning now as he pumped in and out of you. Your body began to shake as you were nearing the edge, and by the noises Sans was making, and the way he was gripping your arms, you assumed he was close as well. His name tore from your throat in a desperate wail and his mouth came crashing down on yours once again. He lifted your legs slightly, thrusting with reckless abandon until you hit your peak, and in turn, he hit his.

The orgasm you experienced with Sans was unlike any you ever had. Warmth poured over your entire body as he filled you, his magic sending chill bumps across your skin. You felt as though you were floating in the clouds with no way down.

And you were just fine with never seeing the ground again.

~*~*~*~

You didn't want this moment to end. You laid wrapped up in Sans’ arms, one of his hands played with your hair while he kissed your forehead lovingly.

“That was amazing.” You said.

“i agree.” he said, “we should do this more often.”

A grin spread across your face, “Definitely.”

He let out a big sigh, hugging you closer.

“So,” You started, “How long ago did you start having dreams about me?”

A small snort escaped him, “are we talking about actual dreams, or do daydreams count?... because i probably shouldn't admit when i started thinking about you as more than a friend.”

“I've had feelings for you for a while too.” You said, “I think I was just trying to ignore them for a while.”

“same here, though i really think that started to go downhill after our little getaway in hawaii.” he said.

“Agreed.”

He started to speak again when his phone went off. He reached over and picked it up, grumbling as he checked the message.

“Gaster?” You asked.

“yeah… he wants me over at the lab.” he said, setting his phone down and turning back to you. “i’d really rather stay here though.”

“I know. I'd rather you stay here too.” you said, kissing his skull, “But the sooner you get work done, the sooner we can get out of here.”

“ugh, why do have to be so logical.” 

He kissed your lips one more time before getting out of bed. You watched him as he got dressed, really paying attention to his skeletal structure this time… never in a million years would you have thought you'd be sleeping with a skeleton. But you wouldn't want it any other way.

“you're free to stay in here a while. maybe catch up on some sleep.” He said.

“I might take you up on that.” You said “Though I really should get back to Frisk, they might be worried.”

Sans laughed, “i guarantee you they know exactly where you are.”

You smiled and pulled the blanket up over you. “You're probably right.”

Sans situated his hoodie on and opened the door, looking back before stepping out.

“so… i’ll see you later?”

“You know it.” You said.

He smiled and walked out, shutting the door behind him. You curled up under the covers, feeling happier than you had in a long time.


	55. Sulfur the Consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH HEY!  
> So, I am thinking of setting up a work on here that's for Undertale requests and drabbles! (either on the fics I've already written, or just random things!)  
> More info on it [HERE](https://fitofpaige17.tumblr.com/post/167127498274/oh-hai-here-have-some-thoughts-ive-been-having)
> 
> Anyway, for nanowrimo, I am trying to get a chapter of this story out every day! So here you are! Let me know how you're liking it so far!
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

“Oh man, looks like someone finally got some!” Frisk said as you walked into the room.

“And just why do you think that?” You asked, stepping over to where they were sitting on their bed.

“Well, let’s see. You left in the middle of the night and didn’t come back, so you had to be with Sans.” They said, beginning to count off on their fingers, “You look disheveled as all hell, and not only is your skin practically glowing, but your smile is too.”

Normally you’d be a bit embarrassed, but you were in too much of a good mood. You sat on the edge of their bed, grinning at them wildly.

“Okay, fine. Yeah, we did it.” You said.

“About fucking time.” They said, “I been wondering when you two would finally work up the courage to bone each other.”

“Geez, Frisk, you- wait, did you really just use that pun?”

They smiled, “I sure did. So, how was it?”

“Uh, that’s kinda strange to ask.” You said.

They shrugged, “What? I expected you to come in here all like ‘oh my god, Frisk! His dick is BLUE!’”

Your eyes widened, “How do you know it’s blue?!”

They wiggled their eyebrows, “I really didn’t, but I do nooow!”

You smacked your hand across your face and sighed. Frisk laughed harder.

“I just assumed, ya know, because he uses a lot of blue magic. That’s really funny!”

You shook your head and flopped back onto their bed, sighing happily and closing your eyes.

“Not gonna lie, I feel absolutely amazing.” You said.

“Well I’m happy for you.” They said, “Let’s just hope you don’t end up pregnant.”

Your eyes popped back open, “Wait, what?”

“Pregnant. You know… when a mommy and daddy love each other very much-”

“Frisk shut up.” You said, “I… shit, I didn’t even think about asking for protection, I just… fuck!”

“Ah, I’m just messing with you.” They said, “I’m pretty sure monsters do something with souls to make babies, you’ll be fine.”

You breathed a sigh of relief.

“...Possibly.”

You glared at Frisk and they threw their hands up.

“Hey, don’t look at me like that! This is all on you if I’m wrong!”

You groaned and threw your arm over your face, shielding your eyes.

“So,” Frisk started again, “You gonna start spending every night with him?”

Their tone was still teasing, but you wondered if they were really worried about you leaving them alone.

“Not every night.” You said, “Some, yeah, but I’ll still be here to hang out with my best bud!”

Their smile widened, “Good. I’d hate to start feeling like a third wheel.”

You chuckled, “Frisk, you could never be a third wheel. You’re too much fun!”

“I know.” They said, “Just wanted to make sure you did!”

You stretched your entire body out before relaxing back onto the mattress. Despite getting a full night’s sleep, and taking a nap after Sans left, you were still feeling pretty tired. Or perhaps you were just extremely relaxed. 

“Hey Nat.”

“Yeah?”

“I love you and everything, but you should probably go shower.” Frisk said.

You raised a brow at them, “Okay, rude.”

“Also get off my bed, I don’t want your post-coitus stench where I sleep.” They said, smirking.

You pushed yourself back up to seating, “Double rude!”

They extended their leg and playfully pushed you with their foot, “Go, get, you smell of gross skeleton magic.”

You laughed and grabbed the nearest pillow, tossing it in their direction before hopping off the bed.

“Fine, I’ll get off your bed. But I’m just going to go to mine!” You told them.

“Noo! You’re still gross!”

“You’ll get over it!”

Frisk threw the pillow back at you and before you knew it, the two of you were up throwing things at each other and laughing like children. 

Your soul felt lighter than ever. Perhaps getting stuck underground wasn’t as bad as you initially thought.

 

* * *

 

Sans was beginning to get aggravated with Gaster. He had been obsessing over the differences between the data collected from Frisk and Nat’s souls, choosing to spend all day studying them and trying to figure out what tests to run next. He asked a couple of times about working on the Core’s power, but he deflected each time, saying that they would discuss it later.

Many hours later, and still nothing. Sans was awful close to calling it a day and walking out.

“dings, don’t you think we’ve worked on this enough today?” He finally said, “we can run whatever tests you want tomorrow. i don’t think i need to tell you how crucial it is that we get to fixing the core.”

Gaster let out a sigh and stepped back from his computer, “I suppose you are right, Sans. Let’s put away this for the day.”

Sans was rather surprised, he had been expecting at least some resistance from Gaster. 

“I would like to run some tests on the two hu- on Frisk and Natasha tomorrow, though.” Gaster said.

Ah, there it was.

“what sort of tests?” Sans asked, “what are you planning?”

“Nothing too drastic. I simply want to gain more knowledge on human souls.” He said.

“you know, if we just went to the surface, you could read other scientists’ work.” Sans told him.

Gaster shook his head, “You don’t understand, Sans. I need to see these things for myself. I will not trust anyone else’s notes on this.”

Sans did not understand, but decided to leave it alone for now. He was agreeing to work on the magic issue some more, so he wasn’t going to spend time arguing. 

They left the lab and walked on down to the main chamber of the Core once again. 

“So,” Gaster began, “I noticed that you seem to have become rather… infatuated with the human girl.”

Sans’ brow bone furrowed. He looked slowly over at Gaster, who’s face was completely calm.

“what are you talking about?”

“You and Natasha.” He said, still looking out ahead of them, his demeanor nonchalant, “I have never seen a monster and human in a romantic relationship. Tell me, what is that like?”

Sans sneered, fighting back the awkward blush that was rising in his face, “i don’t see how that is any of your business.”

“While it might not be my business, it is still very interesting.” He said, “I am curious about how it may affect her soul, or your magic.”

“if you are hinting at running experiments on our relationship, you can forget about it.” Sans said bluntly.

Gaster let out an amused huff and looked down at Sans, “You think I need your permission on these sort of things, but by your past, you should know better.”

They turned to enter the chamber when Gaster stopped him, leaning down slightly to Sans. A smile was plastered to his skull, but his dark eyes were deadly.

“Remember, son. You are in my domain. Whatever I say here goes, or else you can kiss your surface life goodbye.”

Sans scowled, watching him as he entered the room. If he could have his way, he’d stop helping him altogether and fix the Core himself.

But without proper knowledge of how the mechanism worked, that was impossible. So for now, he had to play Gaster’s little games, no matter how badly he wanted to dust him.

 

* * *

 

You were just about done eating with Frisk when your phone vibrated in your pocket. You pulled it out to see a new message from Sans.

**i need you to come to my room as soon as you can.**

“Message from your bootycall?” Frisk asked through a mouthful of food.

You rolled your eyes, “It’s Sans. He said he needs to see me in his room now, sounds important.”

“Yeah, okay.” Frisk said in a sarcastic tone.

“Oh hush, you.” You said, standing from the table, “I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Good, if you aren’t I’m going to knock his door down and get you myself.” They said.

“I’d pay to see you do that.” You said before leaving the room.

You quickly sent him a text asking if everything was okay, but he didn’t respond. Picking up the pace, you hurried down the halls to his room, surprised to see the door was open once you reached it.

“Hey there.” You said, lightly tapping on the door to let him know you were there.

Sans was standing in the middle of his room, hands on his hips as he glanced around. 

“come in, close the door.” He said.

Your forehead creased in confusion, but you did what he said.

“Something happen?” You asked, walking over to him.

“yeah, but before we talk about it, i have to check something.” He said.

“Check what?”

Sans froze, his eyes landing on one of the corners of the room. He stepped closer to it and started to examine an area behind his desk. You were about to ask what he was doing until you saw his hand begin to glow with magic and he yanked something from the wall.

“i knew it.” He muttered, holding some sort of electrical device in his hand. He reached out and grabbed the desk lamp and pulled. The wire attaching it to the wall split and he held the lamp close to his face, studying every angle of it.

“Sans?” You started.

“that fucking perverted asshole.” He said, turning to look at you, “gaster planted a surveillance camera in here, and i bet he did so in the other rooms too.”

“I’m honestly not surprised, he has us held here against our-” Realization hit you like a truck, “Oh god, he saw us having sex.”

Sans crushed the lamp in his hand, the broken pieces falling to the floor.

“i am going to kill him.” 

You sighed, your heart pounding in your chest, “Maybe, just maybe, he didn’t actually watch it.”

“he mentioned our relationship today.” Sans said, “he alluded to studying us and running experiments.”

“What do you mean?”

“that’s the thing. i don’t know. but he all but threatened me when i stood against him.”

He sighed angrily, tossing the remaining bits of the lamp to the side and sitting down in his chair.

“this is fucking ridiculous.” He muttered.

You stepped over and laid a hand on his shoulder.

“Maybe he can be reasoned with?” You said.

Sans let out a humorous laugh, “no way. he made sure i knew that he is in charge here and there’s nothing i can do about it.”

You thought for a moment, “What if I talk to him.”

He cut his eyes up at you, “what? no!” 

You raised your eyebrows at him.

“sorry, i didn’t mean for that to sound pushy.” he said, “i just… i don’t like the idea of you being alone with him. he’s dangerous.”

Your mind went back to the feeling of your soul in Gaster’s hands. You suppressed a shudder and knelt down to look into Sans’ eyes.

“Look, you and him have a history, but I have no connection with him.” You said, “Maybe I can help. I’ll have my phone on me in case I need you.”

“that’s not going to stop him.” He said, “You don’t understand what he is capable of… what he did to me and paps…”

“You’ve only told me that he created you two, but nothing else.” You took his hand and squeezed it gently, “Tell me what happened. Help me understand where you’re coming from here.”

He let out a soft sigh and met your gaze. The way he looked at you, his eyes filled with sorrow and regret.

“you may want to take a seat. this story isn’t exactly short.”

 


	56. Quaking in My Boots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY HEY!  
> Is anyone going to the Undertale fan convention in Atlanta, GA on February 17th? I finally decided that I'm gonna save up money to go. That's my birthday, and it's in my home state, so I just can't pass it up! If any of y'all are going, I'd love to meet you and give you a hug! <3
> 
> Here's another chapter!   
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

_ “dad, why do i have to do this?” _

_ Gaster tried to hide the wince that creeped onto his face. He didn’t like being called ‘dad.’ it simply made these things more difficult. _

_ “Sans, I’ve already told you. We have to do this. You are going to help set our people free.” _

_ Sans frowned, looking at the machine above the table he was lying on. _

_ “but... why me?” _

_ “Because you are my creation.” Gaster said, smiling down at him, “You are my prodigy, this is what you were destined to do.” _

_ Sans sighed and closed his eyes, “okay.” _

_ The machine lowered down onto him and he braced himself for the pain that he never seemed to get used to. _

_ ~~ _

_ Sans woke up to a hospital room, empty except for Gaster, who was sitting in a chair beside him. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Sans had opened his eyes. _

_ “what happened?” Sans asked, his voice terribly hoarse, “the last thing i remember was us in the lab.” _

_ Gaster nodded, “Yes. We were testing determination on your soul again… but I fear we may have pushed the limits this time.” _

_ Sans opened his mouth to speak again, but Gaster shushed him. _

_ “No, no. Don’t speak, you need to rest.” He said, “You’ve been in a coma for a couple of days. I’m really… It’s good to see you’re still with us.” _

_ “but da- i mean, dings.” Sans said, clearly disobeying Gaster, “how am i going to save everyone from this bed?” _

_ Gaster looked at him, concern written all over his face. He reached over, his hand resting on Sans’ arm. _

_ “We’ll figure something out.” _

_ ~~ _

_ Gaster walked into the room, his one hand without a hole now bandaged up. He held a bundle of cloth in his arms. _

_ “Sans, I have someone for you to meet.” _

_ Sans looked up from his work and watched as Gaster came closer, crouching down to his level. Sans’ eyes widened as he saw a tiny skeleton in the blanket he was carrying. _

_ “This is your new baby brother.” Gaster said, “I thought that it might be better, for the both of us, if there was another little skeleton around for you to play with, and also someone else to help out with our work. I know it’s been tough, putting you through all this.” _

_ Sans held out his arms and Gaster gave the baby to him. _

_ “I haven’t come up with a name yet.” He said, “Got any ideas?” _

_ Sans thought for a moment, staring at the adorable, tiny skeleton. _

_ “papyrus.” he said. _

_ Gaster smiled, “That is a great name! Now, Sans, remember, you have to be very gentle with him.” _

_ Sans nodded, “i will.” _

_ “Good.” Gaster said, “And you are his big brother, so naturally you have to do everything in your power to make sure he is always safe.” _

_ Sans smiled and nodded once more. He was determined to protect his new brother. _

_ “Great. Now, let’s head over to the lab and get some more work done today.” _

_ ~~ _

_ “he shouldn’t be doing this to you.” Sans said, using his magic to heal his brother’s wounds. _

_ “Dad said it’s for all monsterkind!” Papyrus said, “He said I’m the only one that can do it!” _

_ Sans scowled. Since he was too weak now, Gaster had been experimenting on Papyrus. At least he seemed to be a bit more careful this time around, he wasn’t even using determination on him… still didn’t excuse his actions. _

_ “when dings said i needed to protect you, i didn’t know he meant from him.” Sans muttered, moving on to another scrape on Pap’s arm. _

_ “It’s okay, big brother!” Papyrus smiled, “I’m strong! I can handle it!” _

_ Sans shook his head, “it isn’t fair, bro. neither of us should have to go through this.” _

_ Papyrus frowned, “But… if it wasn’t us in there, it’d be someone else.” _

_ Sans looked at his little brother, wishing he could be more like him. Papyrus was kind, and always saw the best in everyone. Sans knew better. _

_ “one day, this won’t need to be done to anyone.” Sans said, “one day, he won’t hurt you anymore. I promise.” _

_ ~~ _

_ “Where are you going?!” Gaster asked angrily. _

_ Sans sent Papyrus out and hung back with Gaster. _

_ “we’re leaving.” Sans said. _

_ Gaster crossed his arms and looked plainly at him, “And where will you go.” _

_ “somewhere that you can’t hurt us.” Sans said. _

_ “After everything I’ve done for you?” _

_ “done for us?!” Sans raised his voice, “all you’ve done is caused us pain! You nearly killed me, and i have to heal papyrus daily because of your experiments, yet you have nothing to show for it!” _

_ “That is not true! I am much closer to getting us out of here than I was even a month ago!” Gaster yelled, “How can you be so blind, Sans? And so selfish?” _

_ “selfish?!” Sans glared at him, astonished, “you are fucking delusional, old man.” _

_ Gaster looked as though he was going to scream at Sans, but stopped himself. He sighed loudly and pointed toward the door. _

_ “You know what? Go. Leave. I will figure out how to save us all myself.” _

_ Sans opened the door to go, only to find Papyrus standing there, tears in his sockets. _

_ “Sans.” He said, “We can’t just leave him. Not like this.” _

 

* * *

 

“we ended up staying with him, until one day he fell into the core itself and everyone forgot he even existed.” Sans said, “suddenly me and paps were orphans who could no longer stay in the capitol, so we found jobs and moved to snowdin.”

You squeezed his hand a little tighter, in that moment he seemed so much older, and more tired than you'd ever seen him.

“I'm sorry you had to go through all that.” you said.

“its okay, its just… i can't believe he's back now, and still wanting to do this shit.” he said, “as if he didn't put me and papyrus through enough already. “

You frowned, “I know… and I also know that you don't think it would help, but I'd still like to talk to him.”

He looked at you in surprise, “what would you even say to him? he doesn't listen to anyone.”

You shrugged, “I don't know yet. But I just think that, maybe, if someone were to try and understand him-”

“you cannot be serious.” Sans gawked, “i tried to understand him for years! it's impossible, he's fucking crazy!”

“I know you believe that… but I don't.”

Sans was completely dumbfounded, “the fuck? i told you everything he did to me and paps, you've seen what he's done to frisk, and what he wants to do to us… hell, he ripped your soul out randomly without your consent and you think he's fucking sane?!”

You inwardly flinched at his glare, there was clear hurt in his eyes at what you were saying. But you couldn't just lie to him.

“I'm not saying what he has done is okay, Sans.” You said, “I'm just saying that, perhaps, he is misunderstood.  Maybe he doesn't realize that he could go about all this a different way. It seemed like, from what you told me, he had good intentions at first with you and papyrus. He wanted to help the monsters. He might have been doing it the only way he thought it could be done.”

“you can’t convince me that he tried looking into other methods and  _ that _ was his last resort.” Sans said, “i just… i honestly can’t wrap my head around how you are sitting here defending him.”

You sighed in aggravation, “Sans, I already said I’m not defending what he did. It was wrong, and it hurt you and Paps. He obviously has some issues, but… I just don’t believe that he doesn’t have some goodness in him.”

Sans groaned, putting his face into his hands, “you sound just like papyrus.”

“Is that such a bad thing?” You asked.

“no, but it’s a very naive way of thinking.” He said.

“Well, we all need someone who holds onto a bit of hope.”

Sans looked back up at you, reaching out and taking your chin in his hand.

“i hate to admit it, but you’re not wrong.” He said.

You smiled and leaned in to kiss him. He scooted his chair a little closer to where you were sitting on the edge of the bed and rested his forehead against yours.

“You know I’m still going to talk to him, right?” You said.

He sighed softly, continuing to caress your face with his hand.

“yeah, i know.” He said, “just promise you’ll call me if he tries anything funny, okay?”

“I promise. I’ll have your number up on my phone where I can hit the call button immediately if I need you.” You said.

He kissed you again, holding on a little longer this time. You leaned toward him even more, wrapping your arms around his neck. You knew he didn’t want to let go, and quite frankly, you didn’t want to either.

You both took in deep breaths in once the kiss was finally broken. Sans looked into your eyes, he didn’t seem hurt anymore, perhaps he was doing his best to trust in you.

“i…” He whispered, “i’m really glad you’re here.”

“Me too.” You said, smiling and nuzzling your face against his, “Do you want me to come back by after we talk?”

“if you aren’t too busy.” He said.

You chuckled, “When am I ever too busy for you?”

After kissing him one more time, you stood from the bed and walked over to the door.

“I’m guessing he’s probably in the lab?”

Sans looked at the clock on the wall, “either that, or he’s eating.”

“He shouldn’t be too hard to find.” You said, “I’ll see you in a bit.”

Sans nodded and you left the room to go find Gaster.


	57. Nothing is Written in Stone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm gonna go ahead and make a separate work for requests and drabbles today, so be on the lookout for that!   
> EDIT: [HERE IT IS!!](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12651807)
> 
>  
> 
> Other than that, get ready for a bit of an emotional ride here! Let me know how you think everything is going to turn out!
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

You found Gaster in the dining room, eating and looking over some of his notes. You knocked on the doorframe to alert him to your presence.

“Um, Dr. Gaster?”

Gaster looked up from his notes in surprise, “Oh, Natasha! Did you come to get something to eat? There are some leftovers in the fridge if you want any.”

You smiled and shook your head, “No, I’m not hungry at the moment. Thank you though. I was actually wondering if I could talk to you.”

A look of confusion flashed across his face, but he put down the paper he was holding and gestured to the chair across the table from him.

“Of course. Please, have a seat.”

You stepped over and sat in the chair, resting your elbows on the table in front of you.

“So, what is it that you were wanting to discuss?” He asked.

You suddenly became unsure of how to start the conversation… perhaps you should’ve went over this in your head first.

“I, uh… I was talking to Sans earlier.” You started.

“Ah, I see.” Gaster said, “He must have told you about the talk we had earlier today, when I asked him about the two of you.”

You slowly nodded. That was definitely how all of this started, but you decided not to mention the bit about finding the camera in Sans’ room just yet.

“I want you to know that I have no intentions of harming you or Sans.” He said, “I merely want to observe possible affects your relationship has on your souls. Please understand that everything I do is for the benefit of scientific research.”

“I understand.” You said, “But that’s a pretty personal thing, I don’t think either one of us would be willing to be studied, at least not right now.”

Gaster looked at you, his eye sockets narrowing slightly. For a moment you thought he was going to be angry, but he simply closed his sockets and folded his hands on the table.

“I know it makes you both uncomfortable, and I am willing to hold off on it for the time being, but I feel the need to remind you of the reason you all are being held here.”

“To further your research, I know.” You said, “But I don’t understand why it needs to be done down here. Why not go to the surface with us? There’s so much technology and research up there that could benefit you.”

Gaster shook his head, “I have everything I need down here.”

“But up there I guarantee you could find plenty of volunteers.”

“Why would I need them when I have you three.”

You wanted to scream at him about the difference between the three of you and actual ‘volunteers’ but you swallowed down your anger and did your best to keep a level head.

“Well, how much are you planning on doing as far as your experiments go?” You asked, “You know the situation on the surface is getting worse for the monsters.”

“Yes, well, it shouldn’t take long for the Core to be fixed after I get my work done.” He said.

“So… why not just go ahead and complete the work on the Core, and then we can help you finish your research.”

Gaster let out a short laugh, “And let you try to escape as soon as the magic is back in full effect? That’s not going to happen.”

Your brow furrowed, “Do you not care that, during that time, more monsters would be dying?”

“That isn’t my problem.” He said.

You glared at him, “Are you serious?”

“I am never not serious.”

“I just…” You rubbed at your forehead, he was beginning to give you a headache. “Look, if you go ahead and fix the Core, I promise I will stay to help you on whatever research it is that you need.”

“And why would I just take your word on that?”

You thought for a moment, if you were on his side you probably wouldn’t believe you either. You were going to have to promise him something tangible, barter with him to gain his trust.

“If I try to escape,” You started, “You are free to do whatever you want with my soul. I will not try to stop you.”

He studied you closely, “And what about the other two.”

“I will inform them so they will not try to stop you either.” You said.

“How will I know you won’t  change your mind at the last moment?” He asked.

“You don’t. But we both know you’re strong enough that I’d be absolutely stupid to try and fight.” You said, standing from your chair, “Just think on it.”

He nodded and you started for the door, but stopped short and looked back.

“I do have one last question for you.” You said.

“And what is that?”

“Do you think of Sans as your son?” You asked, “Not just in the basic definition of the word, you obviously created him. But do you only see him as that? Or do you see him as family?”

Gaster seemed perplexed by your question, bringing his clasped hands up to his face and staring off in thought. After a minute you realized you weren’t going to get an answer.

“Well, I’ll let you think on that.” You said, “Goodnight.”

You swore you heard him whisper “goodnight” back as you stepped back out into the hallway.

 

* * *

 

“YOU WHAT?!!!”

Frisk and Sans’ voices both rang out as you told them the promise you made to Gaster.

“I had to do something.” You said, “If he takes my word, the Core will be fixed faster and monsters on the surface can start living normal lives again!”

“That’s noble of you, Nat, it’s just… ugh.” Frisk groaned, “Did you have to promise your fucking  _ soul _ ?”

“What else do I have?” You asked.

“this is insane.” Sans muttered, “you really have no idea what you asked of him.”

“I think I do. I know how important someone’s soul is.” You said, trying hard to defend your actions, “But what’s more important to me are the lives up there. I can’t just go on each day pretending that everything is alright! Something has to be done!”

Sans studied you a moment, his eyes softer than before, “i know where you’re coming from, i really do. i’m just worried he’s going to find some way to take advantage of that offer.”

“If he really wanted to take my soul, I think he would’ve done it already.” You said.

“I mean, you’re not wrong.” Frisk said, “But you’re not making it any harder for him now.”

You sighed, “Look, as long as we help him with his research, we won’t have to worry about any of that.”

“That’s what he  _ says _ anyway.” Frisk mumbled.

You sighed heavily in aggravation, walking over to your bag and digging out random clothing and bath items.

“I’m going to take a shower.” You said, “We can talk more about this later.”

You didn’t give them a chance to say anything as you quickly headed out of the room.

You knew they meant well, they were only worried about you. But you also felt like they were treating you like a child. Of course you knew what you had promised Gaster, you weren’t stupid! Sure, you couldn’t trust him a hundred percent, but you were trying to trust him enough for that… you knew there was some decency in that monster somewhere.

You shut yourself in the bathroom and immediately began to undress and put your items into the shower, but just as you were about to cut the water on, there was a knock at the door.

“What?” You called out, a little more angrily than you meant to.

“hey, it’s me.” You heard Sans say, “can i come in for a sec?”

You rolled your eyes and grabbed your towel, wrapping it around yourself, “Yeah, come on in.”

Sans suddenly appeared in the room, using his magic to get past the locked door. He looked a bit sheepish, not quite making eye contact with you.

“hey,” He started, “i didn’t mean to make it sound like i didn’t appreciate what you’re trying to do.”

Your face softened, “It’s alright, Sans. I know you’re just worried about me.”

He stepped closer, “yeah, but i should trust you more. while i don’t agree with how you went about things, you’re not stupid. you’re doing what you think is best.”

You just couldn’t stay even slightly aggravated with Sans for long. You smiled and closed the gap between you two, laying your hand on his cheekbone.

“I know you’re worried, frankly, I am too.” You said, “But I want to help finish this mission we came down here for. I don’t want to see my friends get weaker and weaker on the surface… I don’t, I-”

Your mind automatically went to Sans. He’d been pretty lucky so far, only getting minor magical issues up there. But he was still a monster, and if the Core went unfixed, things would get worse for him. You remembered seeing how weak Grillby had become before his death. You didn’t want to see Sans in the same situation.

“hey, hey, it’s okay.” You heard Sans say, reaching up to your face.

You didn’t realize that tears had started forming in your eyes, but once you did, you stepped back and quickly started wiping at your eyes. Crying was something you did on your own, away from anyone else.

Sans looked confused, “nat?”

“I’m sorry.” You said, still covering your face.

Sans carefully stepped closer to you again, “what do you have to be sorry for, you haven’t done anything.”

The tears were refusing to stop now, and your body had begun to shake. You wanted to run and hide to cry on your own for a while, but you felt Sans’ hands rest on your shoulders and a part of you wanted to collapse into his arms.

You found yourself sliding down onto the floor, crumpling in on yourself as a sob escaped your lips. 

“what’s wrong, sweetheart?” You head Sans say, worry in his words.

“I just…. All of this.” You said, “We’re trapped down here, and things are only getting worse up there.”

“i know.” He spoke, gently rubbing your back, “but we’ll get it fixed soon.”

You met his eyes through your own watery ones.

“I don’t want to lose you.” You whispered.

Sans leaned in and kissed your forehead before taking you into his arms.

“i don’t want to lose you either.” He said.

You sniffed, a small smile crossing your lips as you buried your head against his shoulder.

“I promise you won’t lose me if you promise.”

A deep chuckled rumbled through his ribcage.

“okay, i promise.”


	58. It Takes Alkynes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY! If you haven't already, head over to the new work I made for Undertale drabbles and leave a request! :D
> 
> I hope you like this chapter! Leave a comment if you dooo!
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

Sans watched Gaster carefully all day. Ever since his talk with Natasha, he’d been acting a bit differently. 

First off, he had Sans up early to start work on fixing the Core. They worked there until lunch time, and then Gaster had made the two of them food and they ended up sitting down and eating together.

It was all so strange… They discussed their notes on the Core and how long it might take for it to be fully functional again, but they also talked about other things. Gaster asked questions about the surface, what all Sans had done since he left the underground. He even asked what Papyrus had been up to, and for once, Sans actually answered him.

“So, how did you and Natasha actually meet?” Gaster asked.

Sans froze up slightly. Remembering the promise between Gaster and Nat, he wasn’t really up for talking about her with him.

“at the college where i worked.” Sans said.

Gaster nodded, “That makes sense, she seems to have a brilliant mind.”

“yeah, she does.” Sans said slowly, his suspicion still growing.

“I assume she told you of our discussion yesterday.” 

Ah, there it was. Sans had a feeling he would bring this up. He simply nodded.

“Yes, well, I have decided to take her up on her offer.” Gaster said, “And I just wanted to inform you of it.”

“why?” the word slipped out of Sans quickly.

Gaster raised a brow bone, “I figured that it be best if you knew my intentions, she is your human after all.”

Heat rushed to Sans’ face, “she isn’t  _ my  _ human. she’s just a human that i am in a relationship with.”

Gaster rested his chin on his hands, giving Sans an amused smile.

“Is she someone you see yourself giving your soul to?”

There was no way to keep down the blush that fell over Sans’ cheek bones. 

“why are you asking that?”

Gaster shrugged, “I am only curious, Sans. I have no ill intentions if that is what you are afraid of.”

Sans still stared at him suspiciously. Was this his idea of trying to be a good guardian? A… father?

“Though I will say, I can already tell that your answer to that question is ‘yes.’” Gaster said, still smiling.

He was just fucking around with Sans. He had to be.

“is there a point to this?” He asked.

“Not really.” Gaster said, “I’m simply curious.”

Sans shook his head and picked up his glass to take a drink, wishing it was alcohol instead of water now.

“So have you thought about having children?”

The water shot out of Sans’ mouth like a high-powered hose, drenching Gaster from across the table. He immediately stood up and started for the door.

“if you’ll excuse me, i’m taking my leave now. let me know when you need me for more lab work.” He muttered.

Gaster’s rare, unusual laughter followed Sans as he made his way to his room. He was completely done with this day and Gaster’s weird-ass shenanigans.

 

* * *

 

Frisk laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling. They had been talking to Nat about their bonding for a few hours now. They had this odd feeling in their soul that just wasn’t going away, and they had no idea what might be causing it.

“I still think you should talk to Sans about it.” Nat said.

“I don’t know.” Frisk said, “He’s got enough to deal with, I don’t want him worrying about me too.”

“I’m pretty sure he already worries about you. You just went through a major change and none of us are sure how to deal with it, not even you.”

Frisk sighed, gripping their shirt at their chest, “It feels like something’s missing, I just don’t know what it could be.”

They had told Sans everything that had happened in the timelines, everything they’d done, the reasons for their connected dreams… but they still felt wrong. 

“Maybe I need to have my soul looked at again.” Frisk said, “Just… not with that machine Gaster used last time.”

Nat’s brow furrowed, “Frisk, please don’t tell me that you’re thinking of having Gaster look at your soul again.”

“Why not?” They asked, sitting up, “He’s already made it known that he want’s to run more tests on me. I might as well go in willingly.”

Nat frowned, “I just don’t know if it’s a good idea.”

Frisk narrowed their eyes at her, “So it’s okay for you to go promise your soul to the devil, but not for me to have him look at mine?”

A sigh escaped her, “Oh my god, Frisk, that’s not what I’m saying. Also, I only promised it IF I tried to escape once the Core is fixed instead of helping with his research.”

“Yeah, but just how long do you think he’ll keep us here afterward?” Frisk asked, “What if we never get to leave!”

“I don’t think he’d try to keep us here forever.” Nat said, “He doesn’t seem  _ that _ evil.”

“You put too much faith in others, Nat.” Frisk said, “But back to what I was saying. If Gaster is going to run experiments on me, I might as well have him do it now instead of later. Maybe it’ll actually help me figure out what’s going on here.”

“I mean, if that’s how you feel.... I still say you should mention it to Sans. He at least needs to be there when it happens.”

Frisk twiddled their thumbs on their lap.

“Well… I was actually going to ask if you both could be there.”

A warm smile spread across her lips, “Of course, Frisk. I’m always here for you, no matter what.”

Frisk’s soul shined within them and they couldn’t help but jump off their own bed and tackle Natasha onto hers.

“You’re my best friend, you know that?” They said.

Natasha laughed, “What about Sans?”

“Ah, screw him.” They raised up above her wiggled their eyebrows, “Oh wait, you already did that.”

“OH MY GOD!” Natasha yelled, pushing Frisk off her, “Why are you like this?!”

“You love me!” Frisk said, planting a kiss on her cheek and hopping back off the bed, “Come on, let’s go find Sans.”

 

You and Frisk made your way to Sans’ room only to meet him at his door as he came down the opposite end of the hallway. 

“Hey, Fettuccine!” Frisk said, “Have a good day with Gaster?”

“it’s been pretty productive actually. though he’s been acting strange all day.” He said.

“How so?” You asked.

“well, he-” Sans froze up as his eyes locked with yours, “uh… he was just a lot more talkative than usual.”

“Oh yeah? What was he talking about?” Frisk asked.

You noticed the blue glow to Sans’ face as he quickly turned away to go into his room… he’d sure been blushing a lot lately.

“was just curious about surface life.” he said, opening the door and stepping into the bedroom, “so, what have you two been doing?”

“Just sitting around chatting.” Frisk said, “Though, there is an issue I’ve been having that I need to talk to you about.”

Frisk’s sudden shift in tone had Sans turning to face them, the blue from his face gone once again.

“is something wrong?” He asked.

“I’m not sure.” They said, “It’s my soul. Something feels strange after the bonding and I’m not sure what it is.”

Sans demeanor went from laid back to professional real quick. He stepped closer to them and held out his hand.

“may i?”

Frisk nodded and you watched as Sans worked his magic to pull out their soul. The blood-red heart floated between them and Sans leaned in, staring into it.

“See anything you like?” Frisk joked.

Sans rolled his eyes and cupped the soul in his hand, bringing it closer to his face.

“there’s something different about it.” he said, “i don’t remember it being quite this dark before the bond, and i didn’t really pay much attention to it in the lab the other day… not with you passing out and all.”

Frisk frowned, “What could that mean?”

“i don’t know.” he said, gently pushing Frisk’s soul back into their body.

“Do you think Gaster would know?” They asked.

At first Sans looked ready to protest, but he paused, his hand going to his chin in thought.

“honestly, he’d be the one to figure it out… but i don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”

“That’s what I was saying.” You said.

“Maybe he could do something different from last time.” They said, “Like a different machine or something?”

“that’s not exactly the issue i was thinking of.” Sans said.

“What is it then?” Frisk asked.

Sans sighed, leaning back against the wall, “you notice how gaster sometimes calls you the ‘anomaly?’”

Frisk nodded.

“I looked at some of his notes, he knows about the timelines.” Sans said.

Frisk jaw dropped open, “What?! How?”

Sans shrugged, “i’m guessing he wasn’t affected by the ‘reset’ or whatever, at least not to the point that i was. He doesn’t seem to remember exactly what happened, but he knows that time was messed with, and that you were the cause of it.”

Frisk brought their palm to their face and groaned, “Oh god, that is not good. No wonder he wants to experiment on me!”

“that’s the main reason i keep telling him to hold off on it.” Sans said, “i don’t really know what he is planning.”

“So what am I supposed to do?” Frisk asked, “I don’t know if I can just… ignore it.”

Sans rubbed at his forehead, “let me look around the lab and see what i can do.”

“I really appreciate it, Sans.” Frisk said sincerely.

“don’t mention it kiddo.” Sans said, “wouldn’t want ya going all crazy on us or anything.”

A momentary look of fear crossed Frisk’s face before they ultimately laughed it off.

“heh. Yeah. Let’s uh, try to avoid that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (That moment when all you want to do is write more smut but you should probably FOCUS ON THE STORY)
> 
> ...
> 
> (Would y'all want more smut?)


	59. Not to Quarry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's chapter is a wee bit shorter, but is definitely working to get that plot moving forward!
> 
> Hope everyone is having a good day! Make sure you visit those links in the end notes! :P
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige
> 
> (I also want to add that the fact that there are so many of you who still read my writing really boosts my mood and helps keep me going. Thank you so much, I love you all!)

“Natasha?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you awake?”

You turned over in your bed toward Frisk’s side of the room despite it being too dark to see them.

“I mean… obviously, I’m talking.” You said.

“I need to talk to you.” They said.

The seriousness in their voice worried you. You reached over and turned on your lamp.

“What’s up?” You asked.

They lay curled up on their bed, facing you. You couldn’t really make out the look on their face without your glasses on, but there was this vibe in the room and in their voice that was concerning.

“I… I’m really scared, Nat.” They spoke quietly.

You propped yourself up on your elbow, “Why? The soul thing?”

“Yeah.” They said, “I’m worried about what might happen if we look into it.”

You raised a brow, “Is this because of Sans joking around earlier?”

“I mean, that didn’t really help. I know he was kidding, but it really got me thinking.”

“I’m sure everything will be alright Frisk, we won’t let anything happen to you.” You told them.

“That’s not what I’m worried about.” They said, “I just don’t want to hurt anyone else.”

“Frisk, I don’t think-”

Your words were cut off by your roommate suddenly jumping up, running across the room, and flopping onto your bed.

“Uh, what’re you doing?” You asked.

They made themselves comfortable under the covers and laid down, facing you.

“I need you to promise me something.” They said, as if this was a completely normal thing for them… hell, maybe it was.

“Okay.” You said.

Their eyes stared straight into yours, a grave expression on their face.

“If I hurt anyone, you and Sans have to do something.” They said, “I don’t care if you have to kill me.”

“Woah, buddy, I don’t think it’s gonna come to that.” You said.

“Please, Nat. Promise me.” They said, “I know I joke around a lot, but I’m not right now. I’m dead serious.”

“I don’t understand.” You said, “Where is all this coming from?”

Frisk sighed and rolled onto their back, “I haven’t told Sans but… I’ve been having dreams again, but he doesn’t seem to be sharing them.”

“Are you sure?” You asked, “Is it possible he could be having them and he just hasn’t said anything.”

“I highly doubt it.” They said, “They’re memories from different timelines, stuff that he’d probably want to discuss.”

“Has this been happening since the bond?”

They nodded.

“You should probably talk to him about it.” You told them.

They let out a loud sigh, “I know, I know.”

Their hands flew to their face as they groaned.

“But Nat, how do you explain to someone the different ways you’ve killed them?”

“Well he already knows that you killed him before, so… I’m not sure what you’re getting at.” You said.

“Yeah, but now I’m reliving it when I sleep!” They said, “I don’t understand why this is happening!”

“Do you think it’s something to do with the original Frisk’s uh… thirst for vengeance?” You asked, “In that case, you should probably talk to Sans, like, now.”

Frisk rolled over onto their stomach, burying their face into your extra pillow. They said something else, but it was completely muffled and you couldn’t understand it at all. When you asked them to repeat, they simply screamed into the pillow. After a moment of silence they turned their head to look at you again.

“Feel better?”

“No.” They said.

“So what are you gonna do?” You asked.

“I guess I’ll try to tell Sans.” They said.

“When?”

“Tomorrow at some point.” Their two-toned eyes met yours again, “Will you go with me?”

“Of course.” You told them.

“...Can I sleep here tonight?”

You laughed, “Yeah, I guess you can.”

They closed their eyes for a few seconds of silence before cracking them open again.

“Can we cuddle?”

You rolled your eyes and lifted your arm, “Come here, you big baby.”

Frisk reached over and cut out the lamp before snuggling into the crook of your arm. You lay there in the quiet for a long time, but their breathing never seemed to relax completely.

“Nat.”

You tried to keep the slight irritation out of your voice, “Yeah?”

“You didn’t promise.” They said.

“Promise what? To kill you if you attack me?”

“If I hurt any of you.” They said, “I can’t fuck up this timeline like the others.”

You sighed and hugged them.

“Look, I can’t promise that I’ll kill you, okay?” You told them, “I can promise that I’ll do what I can to make sure you stay as ‘you’ as possible.”

“...Thanks.” They whispered, “Goodnight, Nat.”

“Goodnight, Frisk.”

 

* * *

 

“It’s almost done.” Gaster said, staring up at the large machine that worked as the Core’s main ‘generator.’ 

Sans stepped over to him and looked up as well, “it’s looking good. how much longer you think we got until it’s complete?”

Gaster hummed in thought, “I bet we could get it up and running tomorrow… possibly.”

Sans smiled, his soul stirring happily within him. Hopefully it wouldn’t be long before the magic to the surface was restored and all of the monsters affected could start getting better.

In an instant, his mood dropped. His thoughts drifted to Grillby, it was too late for him now, too late for Sans to stop by the bar and grab a drink with him… too late for Feurig to spend time with her loving father again.

And there was Papyrus. Sans hadn’t spoken to him since they made their way underground. Was he okay? Had it just been a cold or something? Surely the magic depletion wouldn’t have affected him so soon with him being younger than the others who had fallen down. Sans needed to fix this issue as soon as possible to make sure his brother was alright.

“i’ll wake up even earlier tomorrow if you’re up for it.” He said to Gaster.

Gaster smiled, “Wow, you’re really willing to pass up on sleep?”

A smirk crossed Sans face, “well the whole ‘beauty sleep’ thing doesn’t seem to be working for me, so i might as well.”

“I might take you up on that.” Gaster said, “But for now… have you spoken with Frisk today?”

Aaand the normal Gaster was back.

“not today.” Sans said.

“I would like to talk to them about running another test.” He said.

Sans frowned, “i don’t want the same thing happening to them as last time… or worse.”

“I understand that, Sans, I really do.” He said, “But studying their soul is crucial to my research.”

“i still don’t understand why.” Sans said.

Gaster’s narrowing eyes met with Sans’, “Are you sure about that?”

Sans’ brow bone furrowed, “what do you mean?”

“You and Frisk are very close.” Gaster said, “I would guess that they would talk to you about nearly anything.”

A slight chill ran through Sans’ bones. He knew exactly what Gaster was getting at. He didn’t say anything as Gaster stepped closer to him.

“Sans, you know that I know about the timelines.” He said plainly, “I know you’ve read my notes on it.”

Sans began to feel panicky, but stood his ground, still refusing to say a word.

“I need to know more about them. I have to understand how they happened, how we are here now, how my falling into the Core might have affected things.” He said.

“i’m not going to let you just perform experiments on my friend because you’re curious.” Sans said.

Gaster shook his head, “Sans, I’m not going to hurt them.”

“and how do i know that?” Sans asked, his anger rising, “all i know is what you put me and paps through, and how you’ve already hurt frisk! How do i know you aren’t planning something worse?”

A momentary look of guilt crossed Gaster’s face, “You don’t know that. I need you to trust me. I can help them.”

“help them with what?”

“When I went over the results of their soul’s scans, I noticed something very strange.” Gaster said.

Sans rage quickly dissipated, “what did you find?”

“There are fragments within their soul, that are not actually  _ of  _ their soul.” He said, “It’s almost like the more-whole soul tried to absorb the fragments, but the process was interrupted somehow.”

Sans’ eyes widened, had the bonding between Frisk and Chara gone wrong? Was that why Frisk was feeling strange?

“I can see it in your eyes, you must know what I am talking about.” Gaster said.

“it isn’t my place to talk about this.” Sans told him.

“Then would Frisk talk to me?” Gaster asked.

“i doubt it.”

Something about the sullen look on Gaster’s face felt very familiar to Sans, he seemed more normal monster than crazy scientist in that moment.

_ perhaps... he truly wants to help? _

Sans let out a sigh, “look, i can talk to them and see if they’d be willing to talk to you. but i can’t promise anything.”

Gaster looked very professional once again, nodding and turning back to the generator.

“That would be-” He stopped and started over, “...Thank you.”

Sans still couldn’t trust him, that was for damn sure. And if Frisk agreed to anything, he was going to make sure to be there every step of the way to watch him. But for the moment he let himself hang on to a bit of hope.

“no problem, dings.”


	60. Tuff it Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boyyy, early morning chapter! I gotta go to work soon, but I finished this chapter last night and wanted to go ahead and publish it :)
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

“I’m not even sure what to say.” Frisk told you as the two of you approached Sans’ room.

“Tell him what has been on your mind.” You said, “This is Sans we’re talking about, you’ve known him for years. You don’t need to beat around the bush with him.”

“I know.” They said, “I guess I’m still afraid that he’s going to end up angry with me.”

You squeezed their shoulder reassuringly, “If he wasn’t angry after you came out with everything that had happened, he isn’t going to be angry with you now.”

You stopped in front of the door and watched as Frisk knocked. You’d expected a ‘who’s there’ but instead Sans opened the door, having been expecting the two of you.

“hey, everything alright?” He asked.

“That depends on your definition of ‘alright.’” Frisk said.

Sans stepped aside and motioned for you both to enter. Once inside, Sans closed the door and leaned back against it.

“what’s up, kiddo?”

Frisk sat down on the edge of the bed while you stood by. They sighed and kept their eyes to the floor.

“I’ve been having dreams.” They started, “They’ve been-”

“wait a sec.” Sans interrupted, “when were you having dreams?”

“Ever since the bonding.” Frisk said.

Genuine surprise covered Sans’ face, “i haven’t seen anything… i was under the assumption that you just weren’t having any.”

“That’s what I thought about you at first.” They said, “But I realized that I kept having dreams and you never asked about them.”

“so... is our connection broken?” Sans asked.

“I guess.” Frisk said.

Sans let out a hum of curiosity, possibly mixed with delight.

You stood quietly as Frisk continued with their story.

“So I’ve been having these dreams about the timelines.” Frisk said, “The bad ones.”

“when you were possessed?”

Frisk shrugged, “Maybe? Either way, it was when I killed a lot of monsters.”

Sans frowned, “you had these before the bonding, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, but they never seemed this vivid.” Frisk said, “And they were always a mixture of timelines, never just the focus of so much… death.”

You shot Sans a worried glance, who returned it. 

“I don’t know what to do.” Frisk said, “Were you able to figure out anything in the lab?”

Sans grabbed his desk chair and dragged it closer to the bed. He sat in it, facing you and Frisk.

“well, there was a bit of a change this morning, actually.” He said, “i was speaking with gaster and he brought up the timelines.”

Frisk’s eyes widened as they looked up at Sans.

“we talked about it, i didn’t tell him any specifics or anything.” He assured them, “but the more we talked, the more he seemed to genuinely want to help.”

“Help with what? This?” Frisk asked.

Sans nodded, “during the first test he ran on your soul, he could see shards of one soul inside another, like something had interrupted the bonding process.”

Frisk’s brows knitted together, “What? I thought the bond was complete, how… how could it have gone wrong?”

“i don’t know.” Sans said, “but that’s what gaster wants to help with. he told me that if you’d let him run another test, he could get more info on your soul and hopefully figure out how to fix things.”

Frisk was visibly uncomfortable, you decided to sit down next to them, looping your arm around their’s.

“it’s just an option.” Sans told them, “i know you don’t trust him, i honestly don’t either, but when we were talking about it he sounded like he was simply curious about your soul, but didn’t want to hurt you.”

“I feel like I don’t have much of a choice.” Frisk said.

“Of course you do.” You said, “You don’t have to do anything you aren’t comfortable with.”

You locked eyes with Sans once again, you could practically hear him bringing up the promise you’d made with Gaster. But for Frisk’s sake, he said nothing.

“would you want to talk with him about it first, and go from there?” Sans asked.

“Maybe.” They said.

“I’ll go with you if you want.” You told them.

“same here.” Sans said.

Frisk was silent for a moment, their hand reaching up to wipe at their eyes.

“Okay… I’ll talk to him.” They said between sniffles.

“did you want to go now?” Sans asked.

“Yeah, best to do it now before I change my mind.”

Sans stood from his chair, “he’s probably still in the lab.”

You got to your feet, pulling Frisk up with you. They took a deep breath and let it out before giving the nod to go.

The three of you walked in silence to the lab. You could tell that Frisk was terribly uncomfortable about the situation, as their arm was tense around yours. As you walked, you felt Sans’ hand rest on your lower back. You glanced over at him, he gave you a half-smile, but even that seemed a bit forced. 

Sans opened the lab doors and you stepped in, immediately noticing Gaster in his usual spot at the desk, looking over papers. He looked up as soon as he heard the three of you walk in.

“Oh, I'm rather surprised to see all of you here.” he said.

“yeah, well, we all discussed what you and i talked about earlier.” Sans said, “frisk wants to hear you out.”

“Ah, that is very good to hear.” Gaster said, stepping closer to the group, “Frisk, would you like me to show you the actual scans from your soul?”

Frisk looked up at him, “Yeah, if you don't mind.”

Gaster smiled, “Follow me.”

You let go of Frisk’s arm as they walked off, you and Sans following not far behind. Gaster approached a large monitor near the machine from before and moved the mouse of the computer to bring up some scans that you had no idea how to read.

As Gaster began to explain the soul issue that Sans had mentioned, you felt an arm snake around your waist and pull you close.

“you okay?” Sans asked in a whisper.

“I should be asking you that.” You answered.

“heh, i’m just a little stressed and worried.” He said.

“Same here.” you said.

You continued listening to Gaster talk as you felt Sans phalanges rub circles along the skin right under the hem of your shirt. Perhaps he was just trying to distract you from your own anxiety… or maybe he was distracting himself.

“So, if it is alright with you, Frisk,” Gaster said, “There's a procedure I could do that I believe will complete the bonding process.”

Frisk still stared at the monitor with wide eyes, “How sure are you that it will work.”

“Well, I've never used the machine for this exact procedure.” Gaster told them, “But it help save Sans life when his soul was damaged, so I believe I can use it to help yours.”

Sans fingers froze at the mention of himself.

“What happened to Sans?” Frisk asked, looking between the two monsters.

“He became very weak when he was younger.” Gaster looked to Sans, “I had made a… mistake that nearly cost him his life.”

Sans hand gently rested on your side now as he paid close attention to Gaster’s words.

Gaster turned back toward the monitor, “But the machine I had built, the very one that I nearly destroyed him with, was the key to saving his life.”

The room went quiet, all of you waiting on Gaster to continue. Instead, he took a deep breath and faced Frisk again.

“It is up to you.” He said.

Frisk looked to the monitor again, staring at the scan of their soul on screen.

“What do I have to do?” They asked.

“It's very simple.” He said, “You will be asleep. I will be doing all the work.”

Frisk turned to you and Sans, “What do you two think?” 

“it's up to you.” Sans said.

“We'll be here with you if you decide to do it.” You added.

Frisk looked back to Gaster, “I want to talk to them privately first.”

Gaster nodded, “Understandable. I will be here when you are ready.”

Frisk took your arm, leading you and Sans back out into the hallway. Once outside the doors, they faced you both, their face more serious than you had ever seen it.

“Look, you two.” Frisk said, “I have no idea what might happen if I do this, for all I know I could go on a murderous rampage. If I do-”

“kiddo, i don't thi-”

“No, Sans.” Frisk cut him off, “Listen to me, please. If that happens, I need you two to promise me that you'll stop me.”

“while i don't believe that's going to happen, i do promise that i will stop you.” Sans said.

“Even if that means killing me.”

Sans held their eyes for a good few seconds before giving a solid nod.

“yeah, frisk. if that's what it takes.” 

“Okay.” Frisk turned to you, “Nat?”

You were doing your best to fight back tears. Here was someone you had really come to care for, and they were full on ready to die if anything went wrong.

“I promise.” You said, your voice slightly breaking.

Frisk let out a breath and turned back to the doors.

“Ok, I'm going to go ask Gaster when we're gonna do this… I have a feeling he's gonna need to run some more tests before putting me in that machine.” They looked at you, “See you back at the room?”

“Yeah, I'll be there.”

With one last look, they went back into the lab. You turned to Sans, who already had ahold of your hand.

“So… did he say that you almost died?” You asked.

Sans nodded, “He nearly killed me with his experimentation using determination on my soul. I don't remember much of it, just that I was a lot weaker after the fact.”

You bent down slightly to kiss the top of his skull, “Well I'm glad you're here now.”

“me too.” He said.

You glanced toward the lab again, “I really hope that machine can help Frisk…”

“i think it will.” Sans said, “as much as i cant stand him at times, if anyone could help frisk out, it’d be dings.”

You squeezed his hand a little tighter and the two of you turned down the hall to walk back to you and Frisk’s room.


	61. Is this Cummingtonite? Because I am!*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ROUGH SMUT BETWEEN THE ~*~*~
> 
> Also yes, cummingtonite is an actual fucking mineral and I've had this title written down since I started this story. You're welcome.
> 
> I kind of don't know how to feel about this chapter. I hate and like it. Let me know what you think!
> 
> Next chapter will get back into the plot ;)
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

You watched as Frisk stood nervously next to the machine. It consisted of a large chamber hooked to many tubes with what appeared to be an operating table inside. Gaster had been working since the early morning, running diagnostics to make sure it was running perfectly. Everything seemed to be in order, and the last thing needed was Frisk.

 

They turned to you and Sans before stepping inside, “I know you told me not to worry, but, well… this is my soul we're talking about, so I can't really help but be worried.”

 

“That's alright, Frisk.” You said, “It's okay to be afraid.”

 

Frisk looked over their shoulder at Gaster, “How long do you think this will take?”

 

“I'd say around 24 hours at least.” He answered, “Maybe more. It just depends on how your soul reacts.”

 

Frisk looked to you again, “I know I asked you to look after me, but at least remember to sleep. Please.”

 

“i have no problem with that.” Sans said with a smirk.

 

“It's all powered up, whenever you're ready.” Gaster said to Frisk.

 

Frisk let out a sigh and looked to you, “Alright, well, in case the worst happens… I love you… and stuff.”

 

You smiled at Frisk’s awkward sincerity, “I love you too, buddy.”

 

Frisk wrapped you in a tight hug before doing the same to Sans.

 

“I love you too, Dr. Noodles.”

 

“can this machine take away your ability to call me pasta names?” Sans asked.

 

“Don't count on it.” Frisk laughed, stepping back.

 

“alright, alright. love you too, kid. you’ll be outta there in no time.” Sans said, waving them off.

 

They smiled to the two of you again and made their way to the chamber. You watched as Gaster helped them in, strapping down their limbs to the table. Once they were settled, Gaster stepped out and closed the glass door before moving over to a nearby computer.

 

“Right now I'm going to fill the machine with a knock-out gas.” Gaster told you, “That should put them into a deep sleep, and then it’s just a matter of letting the machine work its magic… literally.”

You found Sans’ hand and laced your fingers with his as you watched the machine roar to life. It didn’t take long for Frisk to fall asleep and Gaster to move to the next phase of the plan. Slowly, Frisk’s soul rose from their body and moved up into a different part of the machine that you couldn’t see into.

Gaster checked over a few different stats on the monitor before turning back to you and Sans.

“Everything is looking good so far.” He said, “Now we really just have to wait. Sans, did you want us to work on the Core in the meantime?”

Sans looked from Gaster to you, “for a bit. did you wanna help us, nat?”

“I don’t know how much help I’ll be, but I can try.” You said.

Gaster smiled, “Alright, then let us get to the generator. Don’t worry about Frisk, I have an alarm that will sound throughout the Core if the machine runs into any issues.”

With one last look back at Frisk, you followed them out of the lab.

\--

You took frequent breaks to check on Frisk, knowing that it’s what they would want. Gaster kept telling you not worry, but you couldn’t help it.

“They’re really afraid of this going south, huh?” You said to Sans during one of your breaks.

“yeah. with everything that happened to them down here, i guess it’s understandable.” He said, “they’ll be okay, though. that determination will pull them through.”

“I hope you’re right.” You said, leaning against him, “It’s just really weird not being able to talk to them right now.”

“tell me about it. i’m so used to their loud mouth that this silence is killing me.” Sans said.

You smiled, “Yeah… It’s kinda stressful, honestly.”

Sans looked to you, “why don’t you go take a nap or something? me and dings can handle the work for now.”

“I think I might actually take a hot shower or something.” You told him, “That sounds nice and relaxing.”

“that does sound nice, actually.” Sans said, cracking a smile, “go on, i’ll make sure to check on frisk for you.”

You kissed the top of his skull, “Thanks, Sans. I’ll be back soon.”

You made your way back to your room to grab a fresh change of clothes. Looking over at Frisk’s bed, you frowned at the realization that they wouldn’t be in it that night. You’d probably be sleeping with Sans then… He probably needed the comfort as much as you did.

After gathering your items, you walked down the hall to the bathroom, more eager than before to jump in the shower. It hadn’t been long since the last one, but with the added stress, you were ready to turn the water temperature all the way up and just let its warmth run over you.

Stripping off your clothes, you turned the water on and let it run for a moment before stepping under it.  You let out a sigh, closing your eyes as the water touched your skin. Maybe if you stood there long enough all your troubles would melt away.

The feeling was short lived though, and your eyes shot open when you heard a noise from outside the shower door. 

“Hello?” You said tentatively.

There was a slight static-like feeling in the air as you felt a presence behind you.

“it’s just me.” Sans spoke into your ear.

You smiled to yourself, “And just what do you think you’re doing in here? I thought you were still helping Gaster.”

“he took a break for some food.” His hands gently moved up your arms to your shoulders, “i thought that i could come help you relax a little.”

“Is that so?” You asked, “Are you sure it’s me you were- ohh…”

An involuntary moan slipped out as Sans massaged the area behind your shoulders. If he hadn’t been behind you, you probably would have collapsed completely.

“you’re too tense, babe.” Sans said, “we gotta work out some of those knots for you.”

Sans worked his way down your back, massaging every muscle he could get to. You ended up leaning forward onto the wall, groaning into your arm every so often.

“Shit… you’re really good at that.” You told him.

“eh, i try.” Sans said, digging his phalanges into your lower back, eliciting another moan from you, “anything to make my girl feel good.”

You grinned stupidly at him calling you  _ his  _ girl.

“What about you?” You asked, “Can I massage you?”

“i don’t have any muscles, though my bones can be sensitive in some areas.” He said, “so i don’t know about massages, but just you kissing me feels amazing. i just want to spend a little extra time on you.”

“Well I'm not complaining.” You told him, “Though I do feel like we're just wasting water here.”

“i wouldn't call it a waste,” He said, trailing a hand down your back, “it looks really nice on you.”

You laughed, “At least let me wash my hair or something.”

“i got you.” He said, reaching for your shampoo.

He squeezed a bit out and began working it into your scalp. His bony fingers felt nice as he massaged it in, and you found yourself nearly falling asleep.

“Can you just join me in the shower every day?” You asked, “It'd be like a spa experience every time.”

“heh, i wouldn't be opposed to that.” he said.

You rinsed out the shampoo and let him run conditioner through your curls before grabbing a bar of soap and your loofah.

“You should probably get clean too.” You said, soaping up the loofah.

He looked a bit nervous. Perhaps it was because this was the first time you turned around since he joined you in the shower, and this was the first time he was really standing naked in front of you.

“i don't know abo- oh, okay then.”

Ignoring what you knew would probably be some lame excuse, you began to gently rub the loofah on his collar bones and around his neck.

“You're really cute when you're unsure of yourself.” You said, smirking.

~*~*~

His cheekbones were blue, but he didn't respond to your statement. Instead, his eyes were moving down your body slowly, taking all of you in. 

You did nothing to try and hide your body and simply focused on actually getting him clean… honestly you wondered if he'd actually taken the time to get a proper shower. It seemed like he was either working or sleeping, and it worried you just a bit.

You were reaching his pelvic bones when the loofah was pulled from your hand and landed in his.

“your turn.” he said.

You were about to protest, but he had already started rubbing you down. He was quiet, staring at your body still as the water washed the suds away.

“You alright?” you asked as minutes passed without either of you saying a word.

He sighed, “so i came in here to help you destress, and i wanted to take care of you… and now that i’m standing here taking you in, i just…”

“Want more?”

He nodded, “a lot more, if i’m being honest.”

Did he think that you weren't feeling the same way. He hadn't hit your nether regions, but if he did, he'd be able to feel that you were definitely in the same boat as he was.

“Then take more.” You said, running a finger along one of his ribs.

He sucked in air at your touch, “i don't uh, want to hurt you.”

You rolled your eyes, “Oh please, Sans, I'm not that fragile.”

“in that case…” his eyes locked onto yours, “you got a safe word in mind?”

_ Oh. _

It was your turn to blush. 

_ I didn't realize he meant THAT rough. _

Not that it was an issue for you, he'd just seemed so hesitant before, you didn't realize-

“unless you don't want to.” he said.

You could've laughed, imagining him doubting what he'd said as you stood there thinking.

“The safe word can be red, because I'm kind of unoriginal.” You told him.

He smiled mischievously and moved a hand up into your hair to pull you down into a heated kiss. His tongue pressed into your mouth and you purred as you let your tongue mingle with his.

His free hand went to one of your breasts, squeezing rather hard before gently twisting your nipple. You let out a squeak and grinded against him, but he pushed you back slightly and broke the kiss.

“you're rather eager, huh?” he said, moving his hand from your breast down further, dropping dangerously close to your heat, but stopping just a few inches away.

You bit your lip and squirmed, but he merely laughed and kept his hand at your lower belly.

“Please.” you begged.

He smirked, “only because you’ve been stressed out.”

You were a bit surprised to find Sans kneel down in the tub, even moreso when he ran his tongue lightly over your slit.

“you're practically dripping.” he said.

“Well we are in the showER-AH!” 

He pressed his tongue between your folds and dragged it all the way from bottom to top before narrowing his eyes at you.

“that is not what i meant, you're horrible.” he said.

You smiled, “You love it.”

“can't argue with that.”

His tongue pressed into you again and you moaned loudly, leaning your head against the wall. He alternated between circling your clit and dipping into your hole and you were beginning to find yourself on the brink of insanity.

You were so close when he stopped, and you whined in protest as he stood once again.

“what? did you really think i was going to let you get off so easily?” his grin turned what you could only define as animalistic. “we're just getting started. turn around.”

You did as he said and let out a small yelp of surprise when he groped at your ass and pushed you forward until you were bent under the water.

He toyed with your entrance with his fingers before you finally felt his magic solidify behind you. He hesitated, but before he could ask if you were comfortable, you pushed back onto his cock, eliciting lewd noises from the both of you.

There was something about the way the water cascaded over your upper body as Sans thrusted into you that made the experience that much more exciting. You steadied yourself on the wall in front of you as he picked up the pace, his fingers digging into your hips ever so slightly.

You could tell he was still being careful not to hurt you, and the tighter the coils of pleasure inside of you got, the more frustrated you became. 

“Saaaans.” You whined, your drenched curls hanging over your face as you looked back at him, “You’re killing me here!”

Something must have snapped in him at your words because soon his hand was wound into your hair, tugging your head back as he started pounding into you much rougher than before. The feeling of his magic stretching you close to your limits was almost too much, you were beginning to wonder if he could change the size and shape of his appendage, because suddenly he felt much larger than before.

He pulled you by your hair until you were straightened back up against him. You panted heavily, your head lolling back as he continued pumping into you.

“still good?” you heard him ask between the moans you released as he started toying with your clit again.

You were getting oh so close, but managed to breathe out the word “more.”

Sans used his magic to move you once again, pushing you up against the shower wall completely. You couldn’t move your limbs as he pounded into you, his finger bones digging into your skin to the point of minor pain. 

“you’re enjoying this a little too much, aren’t you” he asked.

You tried to answer, but you could only produce inaudible noises of absolute pleasure. His bones vibrated with his deep laughter as he pushed himself hard against your back. 

“i can’t get enough of you.” He whispered, “you drive me absolutely insane, and if i could take you wherever, whenever i wanted, i would.”

You opened your mouth to let him know you were close, at the same time he decided to sink his teeth into your shoulder, causing your words to change into a scream that was ripped from your throat. Your walls closed around him instantly, pulsing strongly as he came into you. The sounds coming from him, even as his teeth were still piercing your skin, caused another orgasmic wave to course through you. Thankfully, Sans’ magic was there to hold you in place, otherwise you would have been crumpled up on the shower floor.

~*~*~

Sans dried you off and teleported you back to his room where he held you on his bed. You were pretty dizzy, but completely satisfied.

“stress free now?” Sans asked, smiling at you.

“Yeah.” You said, leaning your head onto his shoulder, “That was… damn, that was intense.”

“good thing i was holding back then.” He said, “i can only imagine the shape you’d be in if i gave it my all.”

“We’ll just have to try next time and see, yeah?”

He laughed, “you’re a bit of a freak, aren’t you?”

“You don’t even know.” You said, “That was pretty tame compared to some encounters I’ve had.”

He raised a brow bone, “oh really? well i’ll just have to step up my game.”

You sighed and closed your eyes as he traced a finger around the large puncture wound on your shoulder.

“it’s starting to bruise already.” He said, “i should heal it.”

“Nah, let it heal on its own.” You told him, “I like it.”

He planted a few, soft kisses around your face and held you tighter.

“i l…” He paused and took a deep breath, “you’re amazing.”

You kissed his neck bones and let out a sigh of contentment.

“you’re pretty great yourself, professor.”

You cracked an eye open and got a good look at his skull turning the deepest shade of blue you’d seen yet. He coughed and looked around the room.

“so, uh… you wanna go check back up on frisk?” he asked.

You couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“Yeah, that sounds good. But you gotta put my clothes on me first.”

He nuzzled his skull against your hair.

“i guess i can handle that.”

 


	62. Pillow Talc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey heyyyy y'all! It's been a busy few days, but I'm working on cranking out chapters as fast as I can without them sucking, lol.
> 
> Leave a comment if you're excited for what's to come! I'm gonna guess theres around 10 more chapters left? Who knows! We'll see how it goes :)
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

It was late, You and Sans had decided to basically camp out in the lab near the machine Frisk was strapped into. Your sleeping bags were spread out, a few pillows and blankets surrounded you, and of course you were munching away on some snacks you'd found in one of your bags.

 

Gaster was checking the machine again to make sure everything was running as it should be. After doing so, he walked back over to where you and Sans were sitting on the floor.

 

“Are the two of you really sleeping in here tonight?” He asked.

 

You looked at Sans, then back at Gaster.

“Probably.”

Gaster looked rather confused, “Why? There are numerous beds that I am sure are much more comfortable than this floor.”

 

“Maybe, but we're with Frisk in here.” you said, “and it's kinda fun to change things up a bit sometimes.”

 

“I'm still not sure I understand…”

 

“here, dings.” Sans said, patting a spot on the floor, “sit for a moment. you've been working nearly nonstop all day.”

 

“Well, yes, there is a lot that needs to get done.”

 

“just for a few minutes.” Sans said.

 

You smiled as Gaster finally took a seat on the floor. It was nice to see Sans trying to be civil with Gaster, and Gaster acting much more… normal than you'd seen him.

 

“When do you think Frisk will be awake again?” you asked.

 

“Tomorrow afternoon if everything goes as smoothly as it has been.” Gaster said.

 

“i bet we could get the core’s generator all fixed up tomorrow as well.” Sans added.

“We might have gotten it running today if the two of you hadn’t disappeared for hours.”

You and Sans exchanged a glance and a smile before looking back to Gaster.

“ah, don’t worry about it, dings. we’ll get it done tomorrow.” Sans told him.

You held out the bag of caramel popcorn you’d been snacking on, “Either of you want some? I’m not afraid to eat this entire bag.”

Sans reached into the bag and grabbed a handful, but Gaster just stared at it.

“Ever had any?” You asked him, “It’s sweet and salty.”

Gaster hesitated, but ultimately reached into the bag and pulled out a single piece. He stared at it for a moment before plopping it into his mouth. You watched curiously as chewed and swallowed.

“So… how was it?” You asked.

“It’s… different.” He said, “I’m not used to mass-produced snacks. I usually just make everything myself.”

“That’s honestly better for you, I’m sure.” You said, digging back into the bag.

Gaster looked between the two of you, “Do you two usually eat like this up on the surface?”

“I cook every now and then.” You said, “Or Frisk will… or we’ll just go get something from a restaurant.” 

“same.” Sans said, “pap used to cook nearly every night when we were living together, but once he moved out i kinda just ate out of whatever i had lying around, or i’d have something delivered.”

Gaster looked surprised, “That’s strange, to me at least.”

“i’m sure a lot of things on the surface would be strange to you.” Sans said.

“So… do the two of you not live together?” Gaster asked.

You and Sans both sputtered out answers, but you laughed and motioned for him to speak.

“no, actually.” He said, “i live on my own, nat and frisk are roommates.”

“Ohh. I was just curious.” Gaster said, “I remember very little about the surface world… It was so long ago.”

“Were you on the surface before?” You asked.

“Not for long. I was only a child when the war broke out.” Gaster said, “I’m sure it was much different then compared to now, though.”

You and Sans locked eyes again, and you wondered if he was thinking the same thing as you… would Gaster be going to the surface after all this?

“Enough about that, though.” Gaster spoke up, “I should be getting to bed so I can rest up for tomorrow.”

“you sure you don’t want to join in on our little sleepover?” Sans asked, shoving more popcorn into his mouth.

Gaster shook his head and stood back up, “I’m quite sure. I shall go ahead and retire to my quarters. Let me know if anything happens with the machine.”

You and Sans agreed and told Gaster goodnight. As he left, the lab went back to being quiet, all except for the whirring sound of the large machine. You decided to scoot closer to Sans, handing him the bag of snacks while you snuggled up next to him.

“Seems like the two of you are getting along better now.” You said.

Sans shrugged, “honestly, it’s hard not to kinda warm up to someone when you’re working with them all day.”

You smiled, “I don’t think it’s just that. He seems happier as well.”

“you don’t seem as uncomfortable around him as before either.” Sans said, “so it seems we’ve all changed… though i still don’t recommend trusting him fully.”

“Is it because of the promise I made?” You asked.

He shook his head, “that’s not all of it. It’s mostly just, well, i know what kind of monster he is. he doesn’t really look at things from an emotional point of view at all, he takes everything in a logical sense and looks at it like an experiment.”

You nodded slowly, “I get that. But has he  _ always  _ been like that? I can’t believe that he has never shown any sort of emotional side, especially when he was talking about using that machine to save your life.”

Sans looked over at the machine for a moment in thought.

“maybe at some point he simply felt guilty about everything he put me through.” He looked back at you, “but i highly doubt he’s ever really seen me as anything more than a failed creation.”

You frowned and laid your hand on his, “I don’t think that’s true. If he thought he failed with you, why would he be needing your assistance now?”

“because i’m the only one here who has helped with the core before.” He said, “that and, even though i didn’t live up to his original expectations, i’m still smart… i’m still just like him.”

You squeezed his hand, “Hey, stop that. You’re similar to him, but definitely not just alike, at least not compared to the description you’re giving me.”

Sans smiled and gently kissed your forehead, “you’re much too sweet.”

You wrapped your arm around his and hugged it tight, “So when we were talking about the surface earlier, I was wondering, do you think he’ll be going to the surface with us?”

“i was thinking that too.” He said, “and i don’t know. If he wants to, i guess. though it might take him a while to get used to everything.”

“You think he could help out somewhere like the USGS?”

“i don’t know if that would be a good idea, unless he has changed considerably from when i was younger.”

“What do you mean?” You asked.

“before the incident when he fell, i worked with him here, serving as his assistant under asgore’s rule. we did a lot of things, made a lot of discoveries.” He let out a sigh, “i made a lot of those discoveries, and he changed everything around so all the credit would go to him.”

“That’s terrible!” You gasped.

“yeah, he was really shitty about it. i honestly think a lot of it was jealousy, and that he didn’t want to be embarrassed by his assistant out-performing him.”

“I’m so sorry, Sans.” You said.

“eh, it’s in the past.” He said, “but my point is, he can’t do that shit without serious consequences on the surface.”

“That’s true. Hopefully he’s changed a bit, or will change if he decides to go to the surface with us.” You said.

“maybe.” 

Sans didn’t say any more on the subject, so you let it drop, turning your attention back to where Frisk lay.

“Looks like we’re going to have a lot to deal with tomorrow.” You said, “Frisk waking up, the Core producing magic again… How are you feeling?”

“i’m excited.” He said, “apprehensive as well. i just want everything to run smoothly.”

You nodded, “Same here. It’ll be good to have Frisk feeling well again, as well as all the monsters.”

Sans held your hand in his, stroking the top of yours with his thumb. He didn’t speak, his mind focused on something else. You looked into his eyes, his gaze seemed so far off.

“What is it?” You finally asked.

Your voice snapped him back into real time, “sorry, i was just thinking of… well, everything… so much has changed.”

You lifted your head from his shoulder, “Yeah?”

He nodded slowly, his eyes still looking to your hand in his, “when we left the underground, we were all so strong, so full of life. once we made our presence known and spoke with the humans, we were more than ready to start new lives topside. it was like a dream come true, for all of us.”

You stayed silent, simply squeezing his hand to let him know you were listening.

“it was nearly perfect, dealing with unwelcoming humans wasn’t too big of a deal for most of us. we could ignore it, mostly… but we started becoming weaker, i guess that was when gaster was able to bring himself back here.” He continued, “at first we had no idea what was going on. so many of us were getting sick, and i thought it was just a monster sickness going around that had been caused by something on the surface. but once monsters started falling down…”

You watched him closely, sadness welling up within you. This was the longest he’d spent time talking about the monster magic crisis. 

His brow bone furrowed, “dogamy, dogaressa, muffet, doggo, grillby… and those are only the few i was close to. their families and friends have to live without them now, and it’s like that whole dream that we left here with has just been ripped from all of us.”

He let out a ragged breath, his hand squeezing yours a little tighter.

“i could have come down here sooner to fix everything. asgore had asked me several times to work with alphys on making it all right again. i didn’t listen for a long time, i just focused on my own thing… stupid, selfish…”

He turned his face away from you slightly, trying to hide the obvious guilt and grief on his face. He hurriedly wiped his eye with the sleeve of his jacket.

“if i had just fucking listened, most of them might still be alive.”

“Sans…” You spoke, your eyes misting over, “You can’t talk like that, none of this is your fault.”

“i didn’t do a damn thing to stop it, though. even when i was presented with the option to.”

You reached out with your free hand, cupping his cheekbone and turning his skull to face you. Your heart broke at the sight of him. How long had he been holding this in, letting it eat him up on the inside?

“You’re here now.” You said firmly, “You’re here and you’re making things right. You can’t dwell on things you can’t change… I know that sounds cliche, and it’s a lot harder than it sounds, but it true. You can’t do that to yourself, you don’t deserve it.”

His other hand covered the one you’d laid on his face, and the two of you sat there, hands clasped together, staring into each other’s eyes. 

“i can’t say i believe that.” He said.

“Well I do.” You said, “I believe you are a wonderful person who would never purposefully do anything to hurt someone you cared about.”

“that’s not true-”

“Then look at my soul.” You said, raising your voice slightly and pulling his hand to your chest to get the point across, “Look at it, see exactly how i feel and tell me there isn’t truth to it.”

His eyes widened, “nat, that’s not-”

“I know that’s not how you meant it.” You interrupted again, tears forming in your eyes, “But if you can’t believe in yourself, you need to see into the soul of someone who does.”

Sans stared at you for a few tense moments before taking both of your hands and holding them between you both.

“i believe you… that you believe in me, that is.” He spoke softly, “as much as i’d like to, i don’t need to touch your soul to see that.”

“I just hate hearing you talk like that.” You said, “You don’t deserve to think of yourself that way.”

“i... thank you.” He said, “i can’t say i’ll be able to change my way of thinking, but i appreciate you being here and reminding me that i’m not alone in this.”

“A lot of people care about you, Sans.” You told him, “We all know you’re doing your best, even if you don’t think so.”

He continued to stare at your hands silently. You let untangled one of them and brought it under his chin, forcing him to look at you.

“Grillby wouldn’t want you feeling that it’s your fault, none of them would.” You said, “I’m sure they’d be proud of you coming down here to help the others.”

A tear slipped from his socket and he quickly wiped it away.

“i know.” he said, “i just… i wish they were still here.”

“I know you do.” You told him.

Sans sniffed, but the corner of his mouth lifted in a smile.

“did i ever tell you about the time me and frisk tried to throw a surprise party for grillbz at the bar?”

You smiled, “I don't think so. Why don't we lay down and you tell me all about it.”


	63. How Abyssal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all are ready for what's next! :D
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

“It’s time.” Gaster said, walking into the lab.

You stirred, half asleep, wondering what time it was. Opening your eyes, you saw Sans passed out in the crook of your arm. His mouth was open, revealing the fangs of his top row of teeth. He looked rather cute, and you hated to have to wake him.

“Sans.” You spoke, shaking him gently, “Wake up, it’s time to see Frisk.”

He grumbled and rolled further into you, burying his face into your chest. You rolled your eyes and pushed him back.

“Come on, boney.” You said.

“ten more minutes.” He whined.

Gaster walked past and you caught a glimpse of a smirk on his face as he shook his head at the two of you.

“Afraid I can’t do that.” You told Sans.

He pouted and opened his eyes to look at you.

“fiiiine.” he said.

You sat up, stretching your arms overhead. You grabbed your glasses and put them on before giving a soft kiss to Sans’ skull and getting to your feet.

Gaster stood at the monitor, typing away on the keyboard.

“So what's the plan? You asked as you walked over to him.

“At the moment I'm running another scan on the soul.” He said, “I need to make sure the process is actually finished before giving it back to them.”

Sans stepped up beside you, rubbing at his sockets. You looked down and noticed his feet.

“You do realize you're missing a slipper, right?”

Sans looked down, “huh, so i am.” he then proceeded to lean his head on your arm.

“It looks… very well, actually.” Gaster said, studying the picture and numbers on screen, “The souls seem to be bonded completely now, it should be very easy for Frisk to receive now.”

“will there be any major side effects?” Sans asked before you could.

“They might be a bit dizzy for a little while, but that will go away. Other than that, no.” He said.

Gaster tapped a few keys and the machine whirred loudly. The three of you watched as the soul was released from the chamber above and gently guided back down to Frisk. It glowed brightly as it entered their body, causing the interior of the machine to light up.

The door to the room holding Frisk slid open and Gaster stepped into it and picked them up. He carried them over to a small cot he had set up earlier.

“They will wake up shortly. I wanted them to be with both of you in case they're slightly disoriented.” Gaster said, laying them down gently.

You and Sans stood on either side of the bed and looked down at Frisk. They looked pretty peaceful, like it was just another night of sleep… and suddenly you felt a little weird hovering over them.

“worried?” Sans asked quietly.

You looked at him, “Maybe a little. You?”

He looked back down at Frisk.

“same.”

The two of you waited by the bed, waiting for any side of movement from Frisk. It wasn’t long before they stirred, grunting as they woke from their slumber.

“Frisk?” You spoke.

Their eyes fluttered open and they blinked a few times before looking over at you. Their eyes had gone from completely two-toned, to a mixture of red and brown in each eye.

“Woah, your eyes changed again.” You told them.

“Really?” They started to sit up, but stopped short, grabbing at their head, “Oww.”

Sans reached out, catching their shoulder to steady them, “don’t push yourself, kid, you’re probably going to be a little woozy.”

“Yeah, thanks.” They said, “How did my eyes change?”

“It’s like they melded.” You said, “They’re both the same shade of reddish-brown.”

“That’s cool.” They said, slowly lowering back onto the bed.

“Besides the dizziness, do you feel any differently?” Gaster asked, approaching the cot.

Frisk thought for a moment, slightly wiggling their arms and legs, “Everything feels fine right now. Just the headache.”

Gaster nodded, “Good. That should go away soon and you should be back to normal again.”

“Hah, normal.” They said, “I don’t think I’ve ever been that.”

Gaster looked to Sans, “Did you want to stay here for a while before we start work on the generator?”

“if you wanna head that way, i’ll be there in just a bit.” Sans said.

“Alright.” Gaster said, “Frisk, let me know if you start feeling any differently.”

“Will do.” frisk said, “...Thanks.”

Gaster gave a single nod before turning to walk out of the lab. Sans turned back to you and Frisk.

“so you feel like you wanna kill me yet?” He asked.

They raised a brow, “You mean more than usual?”

You snorted and Sans rolled his eyes.

“well it seems like we’re in the clear… for now.” He said.

“Ughhh.” Frisk groaned, throwing their arm over their eyes, “I’m starving!”

“What do you want?” You asked, “I’ll get it for you.”

“Oh god, I don’t even care!” They said, “You could have Sans cook something and I’d still eat it!”

“oh my fucking- i’m getting out of here.” Sans said.

You laughed and Frisk smiled at him, “I’m just messing with you… seriously though, I will eat anything.”

“i’ll be right back.” Sans said, then quickly popped out of existence.

You looked to Frisk again, “You sure you’re feeling alright?”

“Well there’s nothing out of the ordinary yet… besides the head.” They said, “I’d say besides the starving, but I think that’s pretty normal.”

It wasn’t long before Sans popped back in with a tray of different kinds of food and two cups of coffee. He set it down on a nearby table and you helped Frisk sit up before he handed them a bowl of soup.

“there’s also some snacks, but i figured something liquid would be best right now. you need to stay hydrated.”

“Aw, Sans, you caaare!” Frisk said, smiling.

“you’re even more cheesy and sarcastic now, i think we need to put you back in there.” Sans said.

As Frisk started eating, Sans grabbed one of the mugs and brought it around to you.

“here ya go, don’t know how good it is.” He said, handing you the mug, “i’m gonna go work with dings. let me know if anything changes with them.”

“Of course. You let me know if the two of you need any help.” You said.

He smiled and stood on his toes to kiss you, to which you heard Frisk snickering.

“Be careful over there.” You told him, smiling.

“heh, i’ll do my best.”

He popped back out of the lab, but not before giving your hand a loving squeeze.

“I feel like the two of you have become even more touchy-feely since I went into that machine.” Frisk said.

You laughed, “It’s been 24 hours, you’re probably just loopy.”

“Whatever you say.” They said, smirking, “It’s kinda cute.”

You smiled to yourself as you sipped your coffee, you were definitely inclined to agree with them.

“Also, you’re still glowing.” They said, “I’m just hoping that you two didn’t do that shit right here in front of me.”

You nearly spit out your coffee as you burst into laughter.

Yep, this was still the same Frisk you’d come to know and love.

 

* * *

 

Gaster had been right, it hadn’t taken long at all to put the finishing touches on the generator. Sans stood next to him, looking up at the large machine.

“I believe that is everything.” Gaster said.

“seems like it.”

Gaster stepped over to the control panel on the side of the generator, “Would you like the honors of switching it on?”

The corner of Sans’ mouth twitched up in a smile, “nah, you go ahead. i’ll stand here and observe.”

Gaster nodded and opened the panel up.

“hey, dings.”

Gaster looked back over to him, “Yes?”

Sans was unsure of what exactly to say. They had shown up down here expecting the worst from Gaster. But here he stood, feeling somewhat compassionate for the monster who created him. And as much as he wanted to still not trust him… he just did.

“thank you.” He finally said.

Gaster just smiled and nodded before turning his attention back to the panel. He reached in and grabbed ahold of a large switch and pushed until it was flipped completely.

Sans watched in awe as the machine roared to life. It lit up the entire area as magic started being produced once again. Sans’ soul soared with happiness. Finally, the monsters would be alright.

“Quite amazing, isn’t it.” Gaster said, standing beside Sans again.

“yeah…”

To Sans’ surprise, Gaster clapped a hand onto his shoulder.

“We did good.” He said, “I could not have done this without you.”

“same, dings, sa-”

A wave of dizziness washed over Sans.

“Are you alright?” Gaster asked.

Sans grabbed at his skull, “it’s probably just the overwhelming magic here… i’ll be fi-”

He groaned as his knees buckled under him. Gaster caught him, slowly lowering him to the ground.

“Sans?”

Sans did his best to try to speak, but his words started to slur.

He could just barely hear Gaster calling for him again before slipping into total darkness.


	64. Erratic Deposition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY! I'm gonna be doing a character Q&A on my Tumblr! (link in the end notes) so go ahead and send me an ask for any of the characters in this story! It can be general questions about relationships, or questions based on the plot, literally anything!
> 
> On with the next chapter!  
> Enjoy!  
> -Paigey

You and Frisk chatted about everything from you and Sans to Gaster’s research while you both ate breakfast and drank coffee. You periodically asked them if they were still feeling normal, to which they usually replied “Yes, moooom.”

You'd been sitting with them for a few hours before they started swaying. You quickly jumped to your feet, took the mug from their hands, and steadied them.

“Hey, you alright?” You asked.

“Ugh, I just got this overwhelming feeling of dizziness.” They said.

You sat the mug back on the tray and wrapped an arm around their shoulders.

“Stay with me.” You said, reaching into your pocket for your phone, “I'm gonna call Sans, maybe he and Gaster can help you out.”

“That's probably… a good… idea.” They managed to mumble before their eyes rolled back and they fell limp against you.

“Frisk?... Frisk?!” You shook them with no response, “Shit, this is not good.”

You laid them back on the cot and hit Sans’ number on your phone, only to hear his phone ring from the pile of blankets nearby.

“Of course he forgot his fucking phone.” You muttered.

You pocketed your phone again and turned back to Frisk.

“I’m gonna go get Sans. I’ll be right back.” You told them, “I promise.”

With that, you bolted out of the lab as fast as your legs could take you. You sprinted down the halls that lead to the Core’s main chamber and, along the way, you noticed a rumbling in the walls that grew stronger as you neared the generator room.

Your heart was racing and you could barely catch your breath as you threw open the door to the room and immediately stopped in your tracks. You wide eyes lay on Gaster kneeling over Sans’ unconscious body on the ground.

Your first instinct was to scream, instead you did your best to stay level-headed as you slowly walked toward them.

“Gaster?”

“He passed out as soon as the generator turned on.” Gaster spoke, still looking down at Sans.

“Frisk just passed out as well.” You told him, your voice quivering.

Gaster scooped Sans’ limp body up into his arms and stood, “We need to get back to the lab.”

You didn’t say a word as you followed behind Gaster’s swift footsteps, though you were even more worried after seeing the usually calm, collected skeleton monster before you spring into action.

You got Sans into the lab, where Gaster laid him out on an examination table. Your soul felt panicky inside your body as you looked down at him.

“Do you think the generator caused this?” You asked.

Gaster pulled the bed Frisk laid on over to where you stood, looking over them as well.

“It’s possible… Perhaps the immediate surge of magic was just too much for them to take at once.” He said.

You frowned, “Why didn’t it affect you and I like that, then?”

His brow bone furrowed in thought, “Well, I have been around a long time, I am capable of taking much more than what the generator just threw out… And you are human, where as Frisk is more or less a mage of sorts, because they do have magic deep within them thanks to their strong levels of determination.”

“Oh, that makes sense.” You said, “How do they seem?… other than being unconscious.”

“Sans’ vitals seem normal. I need to check Frisk though.” He said.

You watched as he not only measured their heartbeat, but also took their soul out to examine it. Normally you would’ve been opposed to it, but if it was necessary to save Frisk, then you weren’t about to argue.

“Everything is as it should be.” Gaster said before placing their soul back, “If it’s just a case of the magic knocking them out, which I believe it to be, then all we are able to do is wait until they come to.”

You looked over your two best friends, “How long do you think that might take?”

You caught the slight frown on Gaster’s face.

“I’m… unsure.”

 

* * *

 

The darkness Sans’ found himself in consumed everything. He stepped forward, his feet not making a sound.

“what is this place?” He asked, looking around the area where he stood.

The last thing he remembered was Gaster flipping the generator switch… Maybe it had been too much? Perhaps he shouldn’t have been standing so close to it…

A far-off light caught Sans’ eye and he immediately began toward it. It gave off a yellowish hue and, the closer he got to it, he began to realize that it was more than just a singular light glowing. It was a very large button in the shape of one word.

**[RESET]**

Sans’ brow bone creased in confusion. Was this where Frisk went when they disrupted the timelines?

Was he dead?

He glanced around again, there was nothing else, just him and the button. He read the word over and over again.

“no, i won’t do that.” He said to himself, turning and walking away from it.

He didn’t get far before he turned and looked at it again.

**[RESET]**

If he did press it, what would happen? Would he wake up back in Snowdin? Would all the monsters be trapped underground again?

And if that were the case… would all the monsters be alive again?

He crossed his arms, humming to himself as he glared at the word.

If he pressed it, there was a good chance that his friends would be back. Grillby would be running his restaurant, Muffet would be looking after her spiders and the bakery, all the dogs would be back at their posts. He’d have to live through everything all over again, but would it even be the same?

Would he even remember it?

And what if he didn’t press it? What else could he do? It was possible that there was another button around in the darkness… but it was also possible that he’d just be stuck there until he eventually pressed the button in front of him.

He took another step toward it, but stopped once again.

What about Nat? It’d sent her back too, right? His soul ached at the thought of erasing everything that had happened between them. But then again, they probably wouldn’t remember it anyway. And it was possible he could find her again on the surface, right?... if everything happened the same way.

He approached the button again.

Which was more important? His feelings for Natasha, or his friends lives?

His fingers twitched hesitantly as he slightly lifted his hand.

“SANS!” A voice rang out.

Sans whirled around to see a familiar human running toward him: Frisk.

 

* * *

 

You sat in silence as Gaster ran back and forth between the lab and the generator, monitoring everything and seeing if there was anything amiss that he could change.

The worry within you grew with every passing hour. You’d walked over to Frisk, holding their hand for a bit and telling them to wake up soon. You’d done the same with Sans, kissing his cheekbone in hopes that some fairy tale miracle might happen and he’d wake up.

The worst possible thoughts flooded your mind. What if they never woke up? With that, you started to think about all the things you should’ve told them that you hadn’t.

Crumpled in your chair, you sat feeling helpless. Normally in a hectic situation, you’d be working hard to try and figure out how to fix things… but there was nothing you could do, and you felt utterly worthless because of it.

“Natasha.”

You looked up from a haze to see Gaster handing you a plate with 2 sandwiches on it.

“I’m not hungry.” You told him.

“I know, but you need to eat.” He said, forcing you to take the plate, “You’ll be of no use to anyone if you have no energy.”

“I’m no use to anyone now.” You mumbled.

Gaster frowned and pulled a chair next to you for himself, “That… is not true.”

You looked over at him, “Of course it is, I’m literally sitting here, unable to do anything… that’s pretty much the definition of being useless.”

Gaster looked over to where Sans and Frisk lay, his mouth pressed into a thin line.

“You’re here, yes?”

You raised a brow, “What?”

“You’re here.” He repeated, “You’re waiting on them to wake up so you can help them. That isn’t being useless, it’s waiting on the right time to help. You’re here, and you’re alert, and that is all that is needed at the moment.”

You looked at him in surprise, “That is the nicest thing I’ve heard you say.”

He let out a slight laugh, “I shall take that as a compliment. Now, please, eat.”

You turned back to your plate and took a bite of the sandwich, only then realizing how hungry you truly were.

 

* * *

 

“What are you doing?!” They yelled, their eyes wide in fear.

“i…” Sans turned to look at the button again.

“Don’t, Sans.” Frisk said, “Please, don’t.”

“why not?” He asked, “it would fix all this. The underground, the monster’s dying…”

“It would also set all of us back 15 years!” Frisk warned, “Not only us, the entire world! People who have made major accomplishments during that time, couples who have had children! They wouldn’t even exist anymore!”

“that didn’t stop you from resetting time over and over!” Sans said, whirling around to face them.

“This isn’t about me!” they shouted, “I know what I did, I know it was wrong! Sans, you don’t know what you’re doing!”

Sans temper was running high as he took a step toward Frisk.

“what i’m doing is rescuing my people!” He raised his voice, “something you obviously don’t care about!”

Frisk looked at Sans, anger raging in their eyes.

“You idiot!”

Sans didn’t see it coming, and only stood there as Frisk’s hand crashed into the side of his skull.


	65. Get Off Your High Horst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will still take character asks on my Tumblr if any of you have questions for any of the characters in the story! Link in end notes!
> 
> Man, y'all, we are getting close. Thank you to everyone who is still reading, and those who comment and make my day whenever I post a chapter :)
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

“OWW!!! FUCK!”

Sans stood shocked as Frisk jumped back, holding their hand in pain. He lifted a hand up to his cheek bone. Had they really just hit him?

“how am i not dusted?” He whispered.

“Because my intention wasn’t to kill you, dumbass!” Frisk yelled, “FFFFFFF, why did I slap a skeleton? That was so fucking stupid!”

“heh, yeah, that was pretty stupid.”

Frisk held their balled up fist with their uninjured hand, “I was just trying to slap some sense into you!... damn I really should’ve went with a punch or something.”

Sans squinted, wondering if he was able to see their soul’s stats within them.

HP: 99

They didn’t plan to kill him, huh?... This was the same Frisk that Sans had known for years, and here they were in a place where nobody could find them.

“Seriously though, Sans, don’t pre-”

The force of Sans’ fist connecting with their nose cut off their words. They stumbled back, grabbing their face.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!!” They screamed.

“that’s for messing with time before, and then lying to me about it for years!” Sans said.

He looked again at their soul.

HP: 95

“Sans, I- AH!”

Sans slapped them across the face, “that’s for going on a fucking genocide run and murdering all the monsters!”

“FUCK! Ok I deserve that one!”

Sans reared back and punched them again, knocking them onto the ground.

“that is especially for killing my brother! what the hell did he ever do you you?!”

“I’m so-”

Sans let his anger guide him, kicking them in the face next.

“that one is for telling everyone i was fucking your mom!”

“But you we- AGH!”

Sans was over them, his eye sockets pitch black, punching them again and again He released all the pent up anger he’d held against them over the years.

Was it slightly unfair? Sure. But did he need this?

Fuck yes.

“Sans, sstop!!” Frisk cried out, their words muffled by their attempts to block his punches.

Sans pulled back for a moment and paused, looking at them. Their face was already beginning to bruise and blood trickled from their nose and mouth. They slowly put their arms down… which was a mistake.

Sans let in one more good punch, “and that is for telling nat about my dreams!”

Frisk groaned, holding their face in their hands as Sans backed off of them and sat on the ground.

“I hope you feel better.” Frisk said as they started to sit up.

“i do actually.” He said.

 

* * *

 

You and Gaster talked over food. It was mostly you listening to him gloat over his accomplishments, but sometimes you managed to let him know about yours as well.

“It sounds like you have a great career path ahead of you.” Gaster said.

“Why thank you, I’m certainly trying.” You smiled, finishing off your second sandwich.

Gaster pushed himself up from the chair, “Well, I think it is time to check on our patie-”

You noticed his sudden pause and stood next to him, following his gaze to where Frisk lay… Once again, a scream caught in your throat.

There was blood coming from their nose and mouth.

You rushed over to them, “Gaster, what do I do?”

“Here.” He said, using his magic to levitate a roll of paper towels over from across the room. “Clean them up, I will check their soul again.”

You ripped off a handful of paper towels and wiped up what you could, turning Frisk’s head to one side so the rest of the blood wouldn’t run down their throat. Gaster pulled out their soul and looked at it carefully.

“They are growing weaker.” He said.

“What’s happening to them?” You asked.

“I’m not certain.” He said, “I am going to need to do a complete body scan. It is most likely something physical.”

You watched in worry as Gaster picked them up and carried them across the room.

The lot of you just couldn’t catch a break, it seemed…

 

* * *

 

Frisk wiped the tears from their eyes and the blood from their nose.

“I won’t argue that I didn’t deserve that.” They said, “Because I’m sure I did.”

“i still want to hit you.” Sans said bluntly.

“Yeah, I know.” They said, “...I thought you forgave me for all that.”

“heh, there’s a ton of grudges i hold that you don’t even know about.” He said, “a skeleto-”

Frisk pounced on Sans, knocking him onto his back. They laid into him with a few punches, ignoring the searing pain it left in their knuckles.

“You stupid fucking skeleton!” They yelled, now letting out their anger, “You spent so much time goofing off down here, and you wanted to act like you were PROTECTING ME?! You didn’t do shit!”

Sans tried to hold their arms back, “that’s not true, i-” 

“Shutup! You didn’t let me talk!” They said, breaking out of his grasp, “And then we get to the surface and everything’s all fine and good and you start sleeping with my mom! Do you know how many puns it takes to break a person, Sans? DO YOU?!”

Sans only snickered, which made Frisk punch even harder.

“And then you get involved with my best friend and I gotta listen to your bullshit all over again!” They threw one last punch to his face before backing up.

“And now… now I find you here willing to erase all that.” They panted, gesturing up to the Reset button, “That’s just goddamn pathetic.”

Sans sat up again, holding his skull. Frisk swore they could see a crack beneath one of his sockets.

“geez, kid.” He said, “i’m finding it hard to believe that i’m not dust yet.”

“Don’t change the subject, Sans.” Frisk said, “Were you really out here about to press that button… after everything I’ve said I’ve done because of it.”

“frisk, it could bring back everyone who has died, it could reset the core before it was broken.” Sans said.

“It’d fix some things, but not all, Sans.” They told him, “It’d undo much more good out there.”

“we might not remember it even happened.”

“I would.” Frisk said, “I remember almost everything about each timeline… Do you want me to have to live knowing how happy we all were up here, and go over all that again?”

Sans didn’t say anything as he stared up at the button.

“Or worse, what if you DO remember.” They said, “How are you going to feel waking up down here knowing that Nat is up there, 15 years younger, and has no clue you exist.”

Sans was still silent, looking off in thought.

“You’d be completely abandoning the girl you love.”

“you don’t think i know that?” Sans said, glaring at them, “Frisk, sometimes you have to make sacrifices for-”

“Yeah, okay,  _ Gaster _ .” Frisk said, “Why don’t you just keep trying to ‘logic’ your way around this one. Who cares if it screws up everyone else’s life!”

Sans gaped at them as though they had slapped him… again.

“Sans, I love you, but at some point you gotta realize that people die and you can’t bring them back… and if an opportunity comes up that says you can, it’s probably too good to be true and they end up coming back as a zombie or something.”

Sans rolled his eyes before looking back at the button. Frisk scooted closer, laying a hand on his knee.

“I know you miss Grillby, I miss him too, a whole hell of a lot.” They said, “But you’re gonna have to let go at some point.”

He looked down at their hand and sighed.

“i know, i just… i don’t want to.”

 

* * *

 

You stood next to where Sans lay, his hand in yours. It was still warm to the touch, which was one of the only good things you were holding on to. 

It was getting late, and Gaster had exhausted all efforts to try and wake the two. The only thing he could really do was stick an IV into Frisk and keep a check on Sans’ magic levels. After hours of waiting, you could tell he was starting to get anxious, or perhaps he had been anxious since the beginning but was only now starting to show it.

You looked up to Sans face. Had you not known, you could’ve mistaken him for just taking another random nap, and you could simply shake him awake. You sighed, if only it were that easy.

Something underneath his left eye socket caught your eye, and you leaned in closer to inspect it. Sure enough, there was a small crack in the bone there. Your blood ran cold once again. What was happening to your friends? Where were they, and what was hurting them?

“Gaster,” You called, turning around to see him standing at his regular spot near his desk, “Come here, you might want to look at this.”

Gaster immediately laid down the paper he was holding and walked over. You pointed out the crack and he leaned in closer as you had. He was silent as he studied it, even as he straightened back up, he didn’t say a word.

“Can we do anything?” You asked.

Gaster closed his hand into a fist, resting his forehead against it.

“I can attempt to heal it, but I’m worried about doing anything too drastic on either of them in this state.” He let out a sigh in aggravation, “It would help if I knew what the hell was going on with them.”

For a moment he looked weak, and you almost reached out in reassurance that things would be okay, but you had to remind yourself that Gaster wasn’t necessarily a friend, no matter how different he seemed now compared to your first encounter with him.

That, and you weren’t sure that things would actually turn out alright.

You squeezed Sans’ hand harder, feeling more helpless than ever.

_ Please come back, both of you. _


	66. Crystal Clear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really glad y'all enjoyed the last chapter, it was a lot of fun to write lol.
> 
> This one is a little more emotional, without the punching :P
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

Sans was still extremely angry. How dare Frisk sit here and scold him for nearly using something that they had recently toyed around with like it was nothing. 

 

But they would know all about it, wouldn't they? They knew the consequences of it better than anyone.

 

Sans gritted his teeth as they sat in strained silence. It'd been a long time since he'd felt such rage toward Frisk, and this was the first time, he could recall, that things had come to blows with them.

 

Yet, even though he could see that he had damaged them significantly, he still wanted to throw a few more punches at them. 

 

“Sans, stop looking at me like that, I know you're angry. I am too.” Frisk spoke up.

 

Sans snapped out of his thoughts, blinking his sockets and shaking his head.

 

“sorry, kiddo.”

 

“Don't be sorry.” Frisk said, “You have every right to be angry with me.”

 

“i probably shouldn't have hit you, though.” He admitted.

 

Frisk let out a laugh, “Sans, if you only knew how much worse it could be. Sometimes I wish I could bring back your memories of previous timelines just so you could see the shit we did to each other.”

 

They shook their head, “I would never want you to feel that pain again, though.”

 

“how bad did it get?” Sans asked, “i mean, i know you said you ended up killing all the monsters.”

 

“You mean with me and you fighting?” They asked, “Oh man, dude. First off let me commend you on being really damn strong and fast… it's too bad you go down with only one hit.”

 

Sans’ brow bone furrowed, “thanks?”

 

“You killed me I don't even know how many times!” They said, “Most riveting battle I faced down here, I can say that wholeheartedly.”

 

Sans wasn't sure if he should feel proud or disgusted.

“It was kinda weird honestly, the final run… this timeline.” They said, their voice growing quieter, “You treated me more as a friend than any other time.”

“i mean, i guess it helped that i thought i could trust you since you weren’t hurting anyone.” Sans said.

They nodded slowly, “Yeah, but it was nice. I think that’s why I stayed in Snowdin with you and Paps for so long.”

“heh, well, you were safe there.” He said, “there was no way pap was gonna turn you over to the king, no matter how badly he wanted to be part of the royal guard. hell, you even befriended undyne. everyone loved you, they still do.”

Frisk smiled slightly, “Thanks Sans… hey, can I ask you something? It’s a question I remember you asking me a long time ago.”

“shoot.”

“Do you think even the worst person can change? That everyone can be a good person if they just try?” They asked.

“if you’re talking about yourself, kid-”

“Just answer the question.” They said.

Sans took a moment to think, “...yeah, i think so. but they’d really have to try, and they’d have to do whatever they could to prove it.”

Frisk’s smile grew wider and Sans felt pretty certain that they were asking about themselves. 

“why does it matter what i think, though?” He decided to ask them, “what matters is that said person knows they’re doing their best, and continues to grow and change for the better.”

Sans expected Frisk to get a little emotional, perhaps shed a single tear, but the response he got was much more heart-rending. They began to sniffle at first, but it didn’t take long for them to dissolve into uncontrollable sobs. 

Suddenly they seemed 15 years younger and back in Snowdin. Sans remembered a particular day when Frisk had entered the house in tears, telling him that they had nearly hit a monster out of anger. He calmed them down and their once cries of rage became ones of guilt. They apologized profusely, and Sans told them it was alright, jumping into a string of puns to get them giggling again.

He looked at the adult Frisk before him with complete understanding.

“c’mere, bud.” He said, scooting closer and opening his arms up. 

Frisk collapsed against him, burying their face into his hoodie as they cried. He gently patted their head. How many times had they been in this exact situation, and how many more times would they be back?

“i’m guessing this is moreso the original ‘frisk’ side of things. am i right?” Sans spoke.

They nodded against him.

“it’s okay, kid.” he said, trying to console them as best he could.

“you’re doing your best.”

 

* * *

 

However upset you were feeling, it was clear that Gaster was worse off. In a matter of hours he had gone from his normal, composed self, to… well…

You looked over at him from your sleeping bag on the ground of the lab. He sat slumped over at his desk. His elbows were propped up, his skull in his hands. He hadn’t said anything for quite some time. He’d been up and down, checking on Sans and Frisk, then going back to research. He had only taken a break for food once, and now he was sitting still, his sockets closed tight as if he was fighting against some internal source of pain, and you had a pretty good idea of what that source might be.

“Gaster.” You spoke, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He spoke through gritted teeth.

“You’re lying.” You said.

He sighed and looked up at you with narrowed eyes.

“Do you want to… talk about it?” You asked, feeling rather silly and unsure of yourself.

At first you thought he was going to laugh, instead he hummed quietly to himself in thought for a moment before standing.

“Actually, yes, I think that might be beneficial.”

You were rather shocked as he walked over and sat a few feet away from you among the pile of blankets. You’d expected him to deflect, maybe go to another room to avoid talking altogether.

“So, where shall I begin?” He asked.

“Uhh… How about what you’re feeling right now.” You said.

“Well, at the moment I am very worried about Sans… and Frisk, for that matter.” He said, “I wonder when they might wake up, and I am a bit angry that I cannot figure out how to fix this.”

You nodded, feeling like one of those stereotypical therapists on tv shows. You had to hold yourself back from saying “and how does that make you feel?”

Gaster let out a breath and glanced over to where Sans lay, “I guess I should also say that I feel somewhat guilty that he is in this predicament.”

You looked at him curiously, “Why? It isn’t like you put him in a coma.”

“Not that I know of, anyway.” He said, “No, I feel guilty because I have been quite unfair during your stay here. I have taken advantage of all of you.”

The fact that he was admitting all this was surprising, you weren’t sure of what to say… not that you would’ve been able to get a word in, as he simply kept talking.

“I will be very honest with you, Natasha.” He turned to look at you again, “I was considering betraying you once the generator was running again.”

Your eyes widened in shock and fear.

“My research is something I take very seriously, it is my life, and I was afraid that the three of you would try to escape this place after the magic was back.”

“You changed your mind?” You asked.

“Yes, I did.” He said, now staring down at his hands, “When Sans passed out earlier, and I could not wake him, I became extremely concerned for his safety. It is not often at all that something scares me…”

“I’m sorry, Gaster.” You said.

“It’s not your fault, though I appreciate the gesture.” He said.

“I just wish there was something I could do.”

“I feel the same.” He frowned and looked to Sans once again, “I would much like for him to wake up. I would… I would rather not lose him.”

You swore you heard him whisper “again” at the end of his sentence, but it was so quiet that you weren’t entirely sure. 

“You care for him.” You said softly, not really phrasing it as a question.

“Of course, I care for him.” He said, “He is my son, though I know he doesn’t see himself as that.”

Your eyes misted over and you wiped them quickly while he was still looking away. He genuinely cared for Sans, you could hear it in his voice, this was no trick. 

He turned to you once again, “You care for him too, in a much different way.”

You simply nodded and he smiled softly.

“The two of you have a special bond.” He said, “It is something I have not seen in a long time, it is refreshing to say the least.”

You were unsure of how to respond to that, so you continued to be silent, watching as he got back to his feet.

“Thank you, Natasha, for the talk.” He said, “I do feel a little less burdened now.”

“That’s good, I’m glad!” You told him.

He stepped over to Sans and Frisk’s beds, checking them over once more before looking at the watch on his arm.

“I think it is best that I turn in for the night.” He said, “You should try to get some rest as well.”

“I will… Thank you, Gaster.” You said.

“Of course. And if there is anything you need, do not hesitate to come get me.” He told you.

You watched him walk from the room, turning off the lights as he left. Your head was spinning slightly from the whole conversation that had just went down, and you were curious as to how long Gaster had really needed to let those thoughts and feelings out. All in all, you were happy that you were able to be there for him to do so.

You curled up under your blanket, reaching out for the pillow Sans had slept on the night before. You buried your face in it and let the mental exhaustion from the day take over as you closed your eyes.

  
  



	67. An Act of Geode

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are 2 more actual chapters and a thank you letter left of this story!
> 
> This work week is hectic, so I'll do my best to write when I can! :)
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Paige

“thank you.”

Frisk looked at Sans, wiping their tear-stained face in the process.

“For what?” They asked, their voice hoarse.

“for keeping me from making what would most likely be the biggest mistake of my life.” Sans said, “if you hadn’t been here, i probably would’ve hit that button without thinking any more on the subject.”

“Oh, yeah, no problem… I’m glad I could be here.” They said, “I couldn’t go through that again, Sans. And the thought of you possibly remembering as well… I can’t handle it.”

The two of them sat, legs crossed, their knees touching one another’s. Sans had his hand resting on one of theirs, whether in attempt to still comfort them, or himself, he wasn’t sure.

“I almost erased everything.” He sighed, slapping a hand to his face. “shit, i nearly just turned my back on nat.”

“Yep. You almost did do that.” Frisk said.

“uuugh, she’s probably worried sick right now.” He groaned.

“Most likely.”

Sans flopped onto his back, both his hands covering his face now.

“i’m a piece of shit.”

“I wasn’t gonna say it, but…”

“not helping.” Sans said, “we have to get back. i need to talk to her.”

Frisk snickered, “As long as you don’t ‘talk’ to her like you did with me.”

“still not helping!” He told them, “how do we get out of here?”

They looked around, “There has to be a ‘continue’ button somewhere around here.”

Frisk stood up and walked to Sans side, holding out their hand. He grabbed it and pulled himself to his feet.

“where do we even start?” Sans asked, looking around.

Frisk shrugged, “Don’t know. Let’s just pick a direction and go.”

The two of them started off, heading away from the reset button and into the seemingly never-ending darkness.

“So what are you going to tell Nat when we get back?” Frisk asked.

“the truth, i guess.” He said, “i hadn’t really planned on telling her anything different.”

“Yeah, but are you going to actually tell her you loooooove her?” Frisk smiled, nudging his side.

Sans cut his eyes at them, “how do you know i haven’t done that already?”

Frisk laughed, “Oh please, Sans, I know you too well. Whenever it comes to feelings, it takes you forever to actually convey them.”

Sans mocked Frisk under his breath before letting out a sigh in defeat, “yeah, yeah, okay… i haven’t actually told her.”

Frisk smirked, “I’m sure she knows though.”

“ya think so?” Sans asked.

Frisk nodded, “Oh definitely. She’s super smart, she sees how you treat her, how can she NOT know you love her?”

Heat rushed to Sans’ cheekbones, “i’ve thought about telling her a few times now.”

Frisk rolled their eyes, “Why are you making it so complicated, just TELL HER!”

“why do you think i said i need to talk to her?” He asked, “that’s what i was planning on doing!”

“Right after you tell her about how you beat me up, I hope.” They said.

“hey, you hit me too, ya little prick.” He said, gently shoving them.

Frisk giggled, “Yeah, yeah… Hey, look.”

They pointed out in front of them. Sans looked and saw another faint yellow glow in the distance.

“think it’s the right button?” Sans asked.

Frisk shrugged, “Won’t know until we get there!”

The two of them smiled at each other and sped up toward the light.

 

* * *

 

You slept like a rock through the night, having been so drained from all the worrying the day before. You woke up on your own, the room still dark. The time on your phone read 8:45 AM, so you decided it was probably best to get up.

The first thing you did was check on Sans and Frisk. It seemed as though nothing had changed with them overnight, which wasn’t bad… but it wasn’t good either.

You were really surprised that Gaster hadn’t come into the lab, or maybe he had and just didn’t wake you. He seemed like the type of person to get up super early. You thought about going to look for him, but you didn’t like the idea of leaving Sans and Frisk alone and unconscious in the lab… though you really wanted a shower.

You were walking back toward your belongings when a noise made you jump and spin around. It was like someone taking a huge gulp of air.

“Frisk?” You spoke.

They began to cough and you were at their side in an instant, attempting to help them sit up.

“Oh god-” They cleared their throat, “It’s hard to move!”

“Are you okay?” You asked frantically, “What happened?! Sans passed out at the same time as you!”

They let out a few more coughs before taking a large, steady breath in. They caught your eye and grabbed your shoulder, pulling you close.

“Nat, you’ll have to talk to Sans… he’s gone mad.” They said.

“Wh-what?”

They nodded slowly, their eyes boring into your own, “We ended up in the void, and he beat the shit out of me… it was terrible.”

Your eyes widened a bit before you really thought about what they said, you then squinted at them.

“You’re pulling my damn leg.” You said.

They tried to stay serious, but a small twitch at the corner of their mouth threw them off.

“Ok fine he isn’t crazy!” They said, “He really did beat me up though… fuck, my face actually hurts worse here too.”

“What happened in there?” You asked, “Were you really in the void?”

“Yeah, ow-” They groaned, moving their stiff limbs, “It was a real… experience. One that I’m actually gonna let Sans tell you about.”

As if on cue, you heard a groan from where Sans laid. Frisk motioned you to go check on him and, after making sure they were halfway sitting up on their own, you did.

“Sans.” You spoke, leaning over him.

His eye sockets opened slightly, closed, and opened again. He blinked a few times to focus his eyes before meeting your gaze. His smile lifted at the sight of you.

“hey, sweetheart.” He said, his voice groggy.

Unable to contain yourself, you pulled him up into your arms, holding him tightly against you.

“woah, hey, easy… a bit stiff here.” he grunted.

You forced back the tears that began to sting your eyes as you buried your face into his jacket. He reached up and rubbed your back.

“good to see you too.” He chuckled.

You pulled back and smiled at him, “It’s good to have you back,” You glanced at Frisk, “Both of you.”

“good to be back.” Sans said, Frisk humming in agreement.

You kissed Sans’ forehead before meeting his eyes again.

“Now what’s this about you hitting Frisk?”

Sans’ smile dropped instantly, his eye sockets narrowing.

“they hit me first.”

“Excuse you!” Frisk shouted, “I had a very good reason! You’re the one who laid into me with punches!”

Sans turned to look at Frisk, “hey, you did the same to me!”

You snorted, “Oh my god, you’re like siblings. I’m kinda surprised you haven’t fought before this. At least not that I’ve seen.”

Although they continued bickering, Frisk and Sans were smiling the entire time. You figured that whatever happened in that place needed to happen between them.

“Oh!” You jumped, “I need to go find Gaster!”

Before either of them could stop you, you bolted out of the lab and began sprinting down the hall. You didn’t have to go far, since you could smell food being cooked in the kitchen. You nearly fell as you turned the corner into the room.

“Gaster!” 

Gaster turned from the dining table, where he was putting food out.

“Yes? Is something the matter?”

“No! Quite the opposite actually!”

In your excitement, you threw better judgement out the window and grabbed his arm.

“Come on!”

You pulled Gaster behind you, hearing him laugh softly as you ran.

“I’m guessing they’re awake.” He said.

“Yes!” You told him, “And… well…”

You slowed to a stop, dropping his arm. You turned to face him before going into the lab.

“I want you to tell him what you said last night.” You told him, “Obviously you don’t have to, but I really feel like it could help things between you and him.”

Gaster looked to the door and back to you, “I… will think about it.”

You smiled, “That’s all I ask.”

The two of you stepped into the lab and walked over to where Frisk and Sans still lay, arguing.

“Okay children, settle down.” You said with a smile.

“It’s good to see you both are well.” Gaster said, “Though it still looks like you’re in need of a little healing magic.”

“That sounds nice.” Frisk said, “I need it after jerkface tried to kill me.”

Sans muttered some obscene language under his breath while you laughed.

“I don’t even want to know.” Gaster said.

You watched as Gaster stepped over to Sans and lifted his hand to his face. A faint green glow washed over Sans’ skull and in a matter of seconds, the crack underneath his eye socket was gone.

“Now, your healing may take a little longer, Frisk.” Gaster said, turning to them, “In fact, it might be best to heal you with actual food.”

“Oh god, food, yes!” Frisk said, stumbling off of their bed and nearly falling to the floor, “I have never been so hungry!”

“I don’t believe that for a second.” You told them.

“There’s food waiting for all of us in the break room.” Gaster said. “We can all go there now if you’d-”

Frisk had already started toward the door, despite one of their legs clearly being asleep.

Gaster looked to Sans, “How has their determination not gotten them killed yet?”

Sans shook his head, “it’s a mystery to me too.”

Gaster smiled and followed Frisk out of the lab. You turned to Sans, who was already staring at you with the sweetest expression. You wrapped your arms around him and leaned into a hug.

“I’m so glad you’re okay.” You said.

“same with you. it’s so nice to see you again.” He said, pulling back slightly to look at you, “i do need to talk to you about what happened in there, though.”

“Well, now’s a good of a time as any.” You said.

He let go of you to re-situate himself so he was sitting up completely, facing you with his feet dangling off the side of the bed. He took your hands in his and took a deep breath.

“i almost did something horrible back there.” He said, “something that i know i would have ended up regretting if i could remember it happened.”

Your brows knit together in concern, “What was it?”

He proceeded to tell you about the reset button, and his reasons for almost pressing it. He shook slightly as he talked about Frisk literally slapping sense into him, how they fought, and how he eventually realized how stupid he was being.

“i almost erased everything between us.” he said, staring down at your hands, “and i’m so sorry, it was selfish of me to even think of it to begin with.”

You smiled at him, “Sans, it’s okay… I completely understand.”

It was his turn to look confused, “what?”

“You miss your friends, you wish they could have lived full lives.” You let go of one of his hands to cup his cheekbone, “Had I been in your position, and you and Frisk were the ones gone, I would have considered it too.”

Sans let out a breath of astonishment and leaned his forehead against yours, “are you even real? i’m finding it hard to believe that someone can be so compassionate.”

You chuckled softly, “You’re silly. None of us are perfect, Sans… no matter how hard you try to be.”

He matched your laugh at that before kissing you passionately. You sighed happily and leaned into his arms. Kissing him again was such a welcome relief for both of you.

He pulled back and looked into your eyes once again, the lights of his eyes big and bright.

“i love you, natasha.”

Your heart swelled with joy to the point where you felt like you were going explode.

“I know.” You said, smiling even wider.

He pulled you into another hug.

“i’m just going to pretend you didn’t ruin this moment by quoting star wars.” He said.

“Whatever you say,  _ princess _ .”

You smirked, holding him tighter in your arms.

“I love you too, Sans.”


	68. My Sediments Exactly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH! The only thing left is the epilogue! I hope I can get it out by the weekend but... well, tomorrow I work 6PM to 2AM, and then I have an 8 hour break before going back into work for 4 more hours. Needless to say I'mma be sleeping a lot lol. Ahhh, retail.
> 
> It shall be out as soon as I can finish it! 
> 
> Enjoy!!  
> -Paige

“Sans, may I speak to you for a moment?”

Sans looked to the doorway of his room, where Gaster was standing.

“yeah, come on in.” he told him.

Gaster stepped into the room and closed the door behind him before taking a seat in the nearby desk chair.

“what’s up?” Sans asked, putting the bag he was packing aside.

“You three are leaving soon.” He stated.

Sans nodded, “yeah, we are.”

Gaster was silent, looking over at Sans’ bag. He wasn’t quite frowning, but Sans could see the sadness in his eyes.

“are you coming with us?” He asked.

Gaster perked up at the question, but his solemn expression quickly returned.

“I am unsure.” He said, “I know nothing about the surface world, and everything I have is here.”

“you can learn, like the rest of us did.” Sans told him, “you have us to help you. and we can always move your things to the surface, or you could come back here.”

Sans felt rather surprised at himself. Was he really doing the right thing by bringing Gaster to the surface? He thought on all the bad things he’d done… but then he remembered all the bad he himself had done, things Frisk had done.

If they deserved second chances, didn’t Gaster?

“What would I do?” Gaster asked.

“whatever you want.” Sans told him, “obviously there are laws you need to abide by, but you could still continue your research, provided you do it ethically and legally.”

“Do you want me up there?” 

Sans thought for a moment. He could go back to a normal life if Gaster stayed underground, but if he joined them, he’d have to explain who he was to everyone… he’d have to introduce him to Papyrus.

And then he thought about what his younger brother would do in this situation.

“yeah, i think it’d be good for you up there.” Sans said, “you could get a job, and eventually get your own place-”

He knew he probably shouldn’t...

“-until then, you can stay with me, if that’s alright with you.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to impose.” 

Who was this monster and what had they done with Gaster?

“it’s no problem, dings. it’d be good to have someone around the house anyway, it can get lonely sometimes.”

“I know that feeling all too well.” Gaster said with a small smile.

“welp, now that that’s settled,” Sans said, “why don’t you go back some bags for yourself. we can always come back and get the rest later.”

“Alright.” Gaster stood once again, “I will do that… Thank you, Sans.”

“don’t mention it.” Sans said.

Gaster started toward the door, but hesitated as he laid his hand on the doorknob. 

“Sans.” He spoke, turning back around.

“yeah?”

“I am…” He seemed slightly uncomfortable, but pressed onward, “I am sorry for before.”

“hm?” Sans brow bone furrowed.

“For before, not only when you three first arrived, but all those times when you were a child.” He said, “I know my word is not worth much, but I am sorry.”

Sans pushed himself from the bed. Was that an actual apology? He had to be pulling his leg, right? He studied his face… He looked dead serious.

“well, i can’t say it’s okay, because what you did certainly isn’t.” Sans told him, “but i appreciate your apology, and i am willing to give you another shot if you can promise to be better this time around.”

Sans held out his hand and Gaster’s eyes lit up as he grasped it and shook firmly.

“I promise. I will do my absolute best.” He said, “I expect that you will help me if I start to get out of line again, yes?”

Sans smirked, “you’re damn right i will.”

 

* * *

 

“Didn’t you say the way out through the throne room was blocked?” Frisk asked as the four of you walked.

“yeah, but i have a way to unblock it.” Sans said happily.

You stared lovingly at Sans, he had a pep in his step that you had never seen before. Your group was moving much faster than when the three of you started the journey underground. Sans even said that all of you would be going back home tonight.

You chalked it all up to the Core being fixed, because Sans was slinging piles of rubble out of the way like it was no big deal.

“Stop undressing him with your eyes, It makes me wanna puke.” Frisk muttered to you.

You playfully shoved them to the side, “Oh shush, you.”

They laughed and pushed you back, “I can’t help it you’re gross.”

“Oh I’m the gross one, but you’re the one who immediately thought that.”

You both kept pushing each other until you were in a full-on play fight in the middle of New Home. Sans shook his head as the two of you ended up on the ground laughing, tears pricking at the corner of your eyes.

“Is this normal for them?” Gaster asked.

“afraid so.” Sans told him, “aren’t you glad they don’t live with me now?”

You stood and helped Frisk up, holding onto their arm as you all pressed ahead. 

“You’re my best friend.” Frisk said, leaning their head onto your shoulder.

“I know.” You said, “Fucking nerd.”

They playfully punched you, but didn’t push you away.

Your mouth dropped open as you stepped into a golden hallway filled with columns and lined with stained glass windows. 

“It looks the same.” Frisk said, “nothing here is damaged at all.”

“It’s beautiful.” You said.

“A lot of bad memories in this hall.” Frisk whispered to you, “But you’re right… it’s beautiful now.”

Just a little ways to go and you ended up in the throne room. There were golden flowers all around, some dried up, but many still blooming as though they’d just been watered. Sans lead you all to a pathway behind the large throne, where a landslide of rocks lay blocking the exit.

“i’m gonna need all of you to stand back.” Sans said, dropping everything he was carrying, “dings, can you make a shield?”

“I can actually.” Gaster said.

A pair of floating hands appeared, palms facing outward. Before your eyes, a wall of purple magic surrounded all of you.

“What are you gonna do, Sans?” You asked.

“something i haven’t been able to do for a while.” He said, “i hope i can still make it work…”

You watched from behind him as he held out his arm, forcing his magic out of the barrier. You jumped slightly when a large animal-like skull appeared outside of the circle.

Gaster gasped quietly, “It’s a blaster.”

“took me a while to finally get down.” Sans said, smiling back at Gaster, “came in pretty handy once i did, though.”

Frisk shivered next to you, “I can still feel the burn from that damn thing on my skin.” They muttered.

You watched in awe, and a little bit of fear, as the skull unhinged its jaw. There was a loud whirring sound of energy as a ball of light began to form in its mouth. It grew bigger and bigger until finally it shot the magic forth in a great beam, obliterating the rubble with no issue at all.

“Holy shit.” You said as the skull, and Gaster’s barrier, disappeared.

Sans let out a large breath and wiped his brow.

“How are you feeling?” Gaster asked.

“like i still have energy.” Sans said, letting out a laugh, “damn, i feel about 15 years younger already!”

Gathering up the bags again, Sans lead the way out. On the other side of the tunnel, the light of day hit you hard. You had to squint and shield your eyes until you were used to it once again.

When your eyes adjusted, you could see that you were standing on the edge of the mountain. In the distance, past all the trees, you could see the town you called home.

“it’s like i’m seeing it for the first time all over again.” Sans said, stepping up to the edge of the cliff.

You walked over to stand beside him, “Tell me about it.”

You expected something heartwarming and endearing.

“papyrus wanted to fight the sun.” Was what Sans said.

You snorted and shook your head, “Of course he did.”

The two of you looked back to Gaster, who was staring out over the area in wonder, while Frisk had their eyes closed, enjoying the sun on their skin.

“it’s going to take a while for dings to get used to everything.” Sans whispered.

You smiled at him, “Frisk and I are here to help, you aren’t in this alone.”

He took your hand in his, “i know, and i can’t thank the both of you enough.”

 

“You don’t have to thank us.” You told him.

“Where do we go from here?” Gaster asked.

Frisk tugged at his sleeve, “Come on, big guy. I’ll show ya.”

You smiled at Frisk’s obvious solution of leaving you and Sans alone to chat for a moment. Sans turned to face you, holding both your hands in his now.

“so... about us.” He started, jumping right on into it, “we’ve changed a lot since coming here… how are you feeling?”

You raised a brow, “I’m feeling fine… What are you actually trying to ask, though?”

A hint of blue dusted his cheekbones, “i just want to know how you feel about this. whether or not you want to continue a relationship once we get back home.”

You couldn’t help but chuckle a bit, “Of course I want to keep seeing you, silly. Why would I not.”

“i’m not your professor anymore but… people will still talk.” He said.

“Let them talk.” You said, “I couldn’t give any less fucks about what anyone else thinks.”

His blush only deepened, “heh, well that’s refreshing to hear.”

You let go of his hands to wrap your arms around his shoulders.

“I love you, Sans Spaghetti. And anyone who doesn’t like it can get the hell over it.”

There was a short stretch of silence.

“please never call me by my full name again.” 

You burst into laughter and planted a hard kiss on him before taking his hand and leading him back to the others.


	69. Cirque and You Shale Find

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE IT IS! THE EPILOGUE! I just... I can't.
> 
> The next chapter is a large thank you note from me. I hope you decide to read it. It's long, rambly, and straight from my heart.
> 
> Enjoy!!!  
> -Paige

It had been 16 years since monsters came out from Mount Ebott, when your best friend and roommate Frisk broke the barrier and rescued a whole species of magical beings from captivity. 

Some bright minds had come up with the monsters. One of them being your other best friend, who happened to be your boyfriend, Sans [redacted because you weren’t allowed to call him by his last name anymore.]

Sans was a skeleton monster who loved science… almost as much as he loved teleporting into your house randomly to mess with you.

He seemed so much happier since the Core had been fixed, and so did every other monster. The magic produced by the underground was going strong, and the monster community was flourishing. 

And because of your help with the mission to the Underground, you landed an actual job at the USGS, where you worked alongside Sans, which was nice.

And good on gas, because of that aforementioned teleporting he was so good at.

Speaking of the USGS, you had a few research papers you really needed to proofread. Instead, you were sitting on the couch in a pile of blankets watching an informative video on your laptop about human-monster pregnancies.

Suddenly, the front door swung open.

“NATASHA HOLY FUCK!”

Frisk stood there with several items in their arms.

“LOOK AT ALL THE SHIT I GOT FOR BABY BUCATINI!”

You sighed and looked over the back of the couch at them.

“I already told you, he’s going to have my last name… also, bucatini? Really?”

Frisk laughed and brought all the goodies over to the couch, “There was a huge sale going on, so I just went ahead and grabbed a bunch of adorable outfits and toys.”

You started going through the first bag, “Geez Frisk, we don’t know how big he’s going to be- wait, is that a skeleton onesie?”

You pulled a onesie from the bag. It was black except for the bones that lined the different parts of the body to make up the skeleton. 

“This. Is. PERFECT!” You squealed. 

“I knew you’d love it!” Frisk said, “Oh man, it would be so adorable if he does look like an actual little skeleton so you can put this on him and people will think its all cute and then BAM, you take it off and he’s STILL A SKELETON!”

You laughed, “Oh my god Frisk, I’m not gonna flash my naked baby at people.”

Frisk kept digging through the bags, showing you each item and tossing it onto the sofa.

“This is really sweet, Frisk! You didn’t have to get all of these!” 

“Pssh, I know that, but I saw it all and I just couldn’t help myself!” They said.

You felt the air around you shift and your smile grew even wider.

“Sans look!” You said, holding up the skeleton onesie as he appeared.

Sans let out a laugh and took the onesie in his hands, “this is hilarious!”

“Frisk got it! And all this!” You pointed to the pile of baby stuff next to you.

“aw, frisk… shouldn’t you be saving money to pay off that loan though?” Sans asked.

Frisk rolled their eyes and waved him off. Ever since you found out you were pregnant, you and Sans had been talking about you moving in with him, but you were worried about leaving Frisk alone. Turns out, the person you had been renting the house from was looking to sell it, and Frisk ended up taking out a loan to buy it. 

“Oh, look at what I got Flowey!” They said, reaching into another bag.

“Did I hear my name?!” 

You watched as Flowey launched himself from Frisk’s room. The Core being fixed meant that Flowey was more strong as well, and now used their vines to move freely about the house.

“Look, Azzy!” Frisk held up a toddler shirt with a drawing of a goat on it.

Flowey reached out with one of his vines and grabbed it, pulling it closer to his face. He looked from it to Frisk silently before holding it close and taking it back to Frisk’s room.

After the three of you had gotten back from the Underground, Flowey had ignored you and Frisk for a few days out of anger. They weren’t very happy about being left alone, but once Frisk told them about the bonding process that they’d gone through, that they were both Frisk and Chara now, Flowey seemed to try and open up a little more. He had even started acting a little nicer, and you wondered if the magic from the Core had anything to do with that too.

Sans brought your attention back to him, kissing you on your head and placing his hand on your stomach. Ever since you’d started to show, Sans had begun to pay special attention to your growing bump. It was really quite adorable.

“how are you feeling?” He asked, nuzzling the top of your head.

“Been pretty good today, just a little tired is all.” You told him, “Oh, by the way, about that paper-”

“nonono, don’t worry about work, i’ll take care of all that for you.” He said.

You rolled your eyes, “Sans, no, I need to work… it’s the only thing that keeps me sane.”

“just don’t stress yourself out though,” Sans said with genuine concern, “the doctor said-”

“Sweetie, I know what the doctor said.” You said, smiling up at him, “But I can’t just put my life on hold, It’s not like I planned on this happening.”

“The way you two were going at it, it sure seemed like it.” You heard Frisk mumble.

You and Sans slowly turned to glare at Frisk, who simply shrugged and continued going through the stuff they bought.

“If you didn’t want me knowing, maybe you shouldn’t have done it in the room next to mine.”

“Aaanyway,” You said, looking back to Sans, “I appreciate you worrying about me, but I got it handled.”

“i know you do.” He said, “just don’t want you overexerting yourself like you usually do.”

“I’ll do my best.” You told him, “So have you talked to Gaster today?”

“i did, he was asking about the baby.” He said, “i’m starting to think he’s more excited than I am.”

You laughed, “That’s impossible.”

Gaster had landed a job a few months after getting his citizenship on the surface. He was doing what he enjoyed, which was furthering his research on souls. It wasn’t long before Sans helped him find a place of his own to rent.

You thought a moment, “You don’t think he’s going to want to run tests on him, do you?”

“i mean, he may  _ want  _ to… but i think he’s past forcing anything on anyone.” Sans said.

Gaster was just as stubborn as ever, and it had taken some time for him to learn all the laws that he needed to follow in his field of expertise. Thankfully his employers were so fascinated by his work, that they were more than willing to be patient with him. He had only pulled two souls out of unwilling participants, and one of those was because he thought said person was threatening him… turned out to be a misunderstanding and Gaster just needed to brush up on his communication skills topside.

Other than that, Gaster was fitting in very well. It hadn’t taken long for Sans to get him introduced to everyone, and Papyrus just fell in love with him immediately, which was no surprise to anyone.

“Oh! Your brother messaged me today!” You told Sans, “He, Mettaton, Undyne, and Alphys are all planning me a baby shower, apparently.”

“yeah, tori told me about it.” Sans said, “she texted me, asking certain questions about what to get you.”

You smiled, Toriel might have harbored some ill feelings toward you before, but since you and Sans officially became an item, she went right back to the same motherly monster that you had first met. She had even apologized for any grudge she had once held against you, letting you know that it was nothing personal, just lingering feelings that needed a little time to pass. You let her know that it was alright, and you understood. You became even closer to her after that.

“You think he’d like dresses?” Frisk asked out of the blue, “The baby, I mean.”

“Well, he’s gonna be a baby for a while, I’m guessing he’ll like pretty much anything.”

“Good because I got him two.” They held up a couple of cute dresses.

“he’ll probably like them more than being constrained in a pair of pants.” Sans said.

“My thoughts exactly.” Frisk smiled.

You and Sans sat and watched Frisk go through every item they bought. Most items were definitely things that you would have picked out yourself. Some, on the other hand… well, you wondered if Flowey would possibly get more use out of them.

“FRISK!” Flowey, as if on cue, yelled from Frisk’s room.

“I’ll be back.” Frisk said, “He probably needs help with the shirt.”

“Or he wants to discuss plans on renovating my old room once I move out.” You said.

“That’s more likely.” Frisk said, playfully patting you on the head before running off into their room.

Sans leaned against you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. His other hand lightly ran up and down your belly bump.

“you tired, babe?” He asked.

“I mean a little.” You said, “But are you asking because you’re actually sleepy, or do you have ulterior motives?”

Sans smirked, “who knows, could be both.”

You giggled, “True, true.”

You looked at your boyfriend…

Boyfriend.

It still felt weird saying that some days. A little over a year ago you first met Sans. Not only that, but he was your professor. Now you were getting ready to move in with him, and about to have his child. It felt crazy, but you wouldn’t have it any other way.

Sans eyed your tummy, squinting slightly.

“Still looking for a definite soul color I presume?” You asked.

“the dominant trait is fighting through.” He said, “i think he might have a yellow soul, but it’s still a bit early to tell.”

You kissed his forehead, “You’re so cute, sitting here trying to figure out stuff about our baby before he’s even born.”

“that’s my job, yeah?” He said, “as a scientist, i gotta study what’s going on, make educated guesses… and as a father, i just need to check every once in awhile to make sure he’s alright.”

“Well I, for one, appreciate that.” You told him, “And I’m sure he could thank you if he could.”

Perhaps you had spoke too soon, because at that very moment your son decided to kick as hard as he could in the direction of Sans’ hand.

“heh, you’re welcome, kiddo.” Sans said to your stomach.

You rubbed at your belly, wincing from the pain of the kick, “I feel like I’m going to have little foot-shaped bruises all over my abdomen.”

“i wouldn’t be surprised. little guy seems pretty feisty already.” Sans said.

“Tell me about it. It feels like he’s doing laps all day sometimes.”

Not to mention the magic he had recently begun to put off. Some days it made you nauseous, and then others you had energy like never before. It was the oddest thing, but completely fascinating to you and Sans.

Sans began to say something when his phone started ringing. He pulled it from his pocket and answered it. You could hear Gaster’s voice on the other end.

“what do you mean you don’t-” Sans looked confused as he listened, “you’ve been there for months and you’ve never used the oven?... why don’t you just cook with magic like you usually do?”

You watched your boyfriend with amusement as he sat up straight, his eyes widening.

“why would you listen to undyne?!... don’t do that!” He turned to say something to you before something Gaster said caught his attention, “wait, dings, no-”

You giggled as Sans popped out of existence once again. He and Gaster had a much more father-son like relationship nowadays, and it wasn’t too uncommon for Sans to slip up at times and actually call Gaster ‘dad.’... it also wasn’t uncommon for Gaster to use his own magic to reach through the void and pull Sans to him whenever he was having trouble with something.

“Hey, you two want-” Frisk stopped as they walked out of their room and saw you alone on the couch, “Gaster?”

“Gaster.” You said.

They smiled and shook their head, “You want anything from the kitchen?”

“Yeah, but I’m coming with you.” You said, pushing yourself up from the sofa, “I need to walk around anyway.”

“Ha, yeah it’s probably best to do that while Sans isn’t here.” Frisk said.

You sighed, “I love him, but I think he forgets sometimes that being pregnant isn’t a disability.”

You groaned and stretched your arms overhead, trying to relieve the stiffness in your muscles.

“If you keep getting bigger, it might turn into one.” Frisk said.

You shook your head, “Shut up, you.”

The two of you walked into the kitchen and you proceeded to make yourself some hot chocolate. You leaned back against the counter and sighed as you looked around the room.

“I’m gonna miss living here.” You said.

“Aw, don’t be like that, you can come visit at any time.” Frisk told you.

“Yeah, but it isn’t the same as staying here and being your roommate.”

Frisk bumped you with their hip, “You big sap, don’t make me cry. Just promise me we’ll keep hanging out often.”

“Well duh.” You said, leaning into them, “I’m sure we’ll still end up seeing each other every day.”

“Definitely.” They said.

You were unsurprised when Sans appeared in the kitchen. He glared at Frisk.

“you told undyne about gaster not knowing how to cook without magic, didn’t you?”

“Me?” Frisk feigned offense, “Why would I go around telling anyone about that!”

Sans facepalmed himself, “he almost burned his place down.”

Frisk was quiet.

“Did he make something edible though?”

Sans peered between his fingers at them and they immediately wedged themselves behind you.

You laughed, “Hey, that’s not fair.”

“He won’t attack you!” Frisk said, “I’m safe here.”

Sans stepped closer to you, “are you though?”

He stood on his tiptoes and reached up, bringing your head down to his in a deep kiss.

“i love you.” He whispered.

You smiled, “I love you too, handsome.”

“Ew, gross.” Frisk said, moving back out from behind you.

You laughed and reached out to pull them back into a hug, giving them a smooch on the cheek.

“I also love you!” You told them.

“Why are you like this?” They groaned, attempting to get away.

Laughter from the three of you filled the house, just as your heart was completely filled with love and happiness. 

You knew that no matter what happened next in life, whether good or bad, you’d have these two with you through it all.

And that made you feel stronger than you ever had before.

 


	70. THANK YOU

Sometimes things don't go as you plan. Sometimes you really want to make something work, and it just doesn't… and then sometimes you start with an obvious professor kink you have and it turns into over 100,000 words of… well, this.

 

I can't believe I'm here. I nearly gave up completely on this fic, fully intending to either let it sit at 20 something chapters, never to be finished, or hand it over to someone else to let them write it. All in all, I'm glad I finished it. I'm so happy about what it became.

 

But I didn't do it on my own, at least not at the beginning. I started this with two people I considered best friends of mine. A lot of the core ideas came from them, I just wrote the story for the most part. Though we are no longer friends, and they will most likely  never see this,  I'd like to thank them from the bottom of my heart. 

 

A lot has happened this year, to me personally. I've learned so much about myself. I've learned how I need to go about treating other people, and how to step back when someone needs space. I've also learned more about my self-worth as a person, and realized that I deserve better than what I've dealt with this year.

 

I love coming on here and seeing people reading my writing. I constantly refresh ao3 to see if I have anything in my inbox. Even if you only leave an emoji in the comments, I see you, and I truly, truly appreciate you. You all make me forget that just months ago I was in one of the lowest points of my life. I come on here and I'm happy, and I feel like I belong. So thank you so, so much.

 

Whether you are battling with mental illness, or you're just down on your luck. YOU are worthy of love, and there is someone out there who cares. I was so blinded by grief of losing people who I thought loved me, that I turned from the people who actually did. My husband, the people around me, my new friends that I only needed to reach out to (you know who you all are!) They all love me, and you know what? I fucking deserve that love.

 

Just like all of you deserve love! Don't you ever let anyone, or any voice in your head tell you that you don't deserve love. YOU ABSOLUTELY DO!

 

I just want you to know that I love you all, and if any of you want someone to talk to, do not be afraid to reach out to me!

 

…

 

Back to what I was saying about the story…

 

It's been so fun seeing everyone's reactions to everything… especially the Frisk/Chara twist. That had been planned since the beginning and damn it was fun to finally reveal it lol. I feel like, compared to my previous 2 fics, this one was definitely more well-written. (honestly, it keeps getting better as I go. I guess that whole practice makes perfect shit is true :P ) This one, while funny at many moments with puns and Frisk’s antics, had some serious topics to deal with, and I’m glad with the way everything turned out.

If you have any comments or questions about the story, please leave it below! Or send me an ask on Tumblr! (Do that regardless, I love hearing from people! :D )

So… what’s coming next, you might ask? Well, I said this would be my last full Undertale fic. I even made a separate work for drabbles in case I wanted to write more Undertale.

I was wrong. Well, not about drabbles, I will still be doing those! No, I started reading Ocean on Fire by TheNinjaMouse, and reread Hell is a Place on the Surface by Lavender_Chan and, well, um.

I’m going to be writing a Slavetale Grillby/Reader fic. That’s right. I’m leaving dear, ole Sans for the hottest monster of them all, eyyyyy ;)

Of course it’s Slavetale, so there’s gonna be a lot of pain. Which may or may not be one of my favorite things to write. My poor characters </3

SO, be on the lookout for that! I may do a few of those drabble requests first. I SHOULD be working on the Stardew Valley fic I started, but Undertale pulled me back under the fucking water-

Aaand I’m rambling. :P If you have a request for me, head on over to that work and leave me one in the comments there! I have a list of each one I get!

I’ll be honest, I kinda feel silly that I’m STILL writing Undertale fanfiction, but the story and the characters make me so damn happy, I can’t stop! So as long as you lovely people will read them, I will write them… Probably.

 

Did you actually read all of that? YOU are amazing! <3 I love you so much for your support, you mean the absolute world to me, and I hope you know that I mean it. Please, never be afraid to reach out to me. I know sometimes it can be weird to message people who’s writing or art you like, but we’re all just like you

Awkward, yet loveable (most of the time) nerds.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! <3333

-Paigey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be on the lookout for the new fic! idk when I'll actually start it lol.
> 
> And if you're dying to read more Sans/Reader from me, check out my other two fics if you haven't already! Safe Place & Spitfire
> 
> Once again, thank you so very much! I love all of you!

**Author's Note:**

> [CHAT ME UP ON TUMBLR!](https://fitofpaige17.tumblr.com/)  
>  (Also, my Tumblr wasn't created specifically for my fics, so if you're just wanting to know when the story updates, please click 'subscribe' and you'll receive emails whenever I publish a new chapter!)
> 
> If you have an Undertale related drabble you'd like me to write, leave your request [HERE!](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12651807)
> 
> I started a Spotify playlist for this fic, will add more songs as we go!  
> [THIAS PLAYLIST!](https://open.spotify.com/user/1249626311/playlist/4SGqT5Rc5Hlx265vhYty3B)  
> 


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